


Wally of the Bat-Clan

by SunnyDonna



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Coming Out, Daddy Issues, F/M, Fluffy Romance, Fluffy family bonding, M/M, Possible First Times, Prompt Fic, Wally and Conner being adorable, non-graphic abuse in early chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-24 16:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 82,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/942286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyDonna/pseuds/SunnyDonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based of the prompt from YJ Anon Meme. Wally is the youngest member of the Batclan, so when Wally starts to have get crush on a boy the overprotective Batfamily are not to happy. The batclan's ages are backwards so Damian is the oldest and Dick is the second youngest. With Wally being the youngest. Wally is still Kid Flash, and this is how he grew up and fell in love. KF/SB </p>
<p>New Chapters Monday and Friday</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Wally

After Bruce Wayne adopted Dick Grayson, the rambunctious four year old that he was, Bruce had decided he had enough children. Five was a good amount. Between Damian, Tim, Cass, Jason and Dick, he had a nice large group of children. They were sweet and well behaved. He adored his kids, really, he did. They weren't the politest bunch (Jason and Damian) nor the quietest bunch (all because of Dick and Jason) but they were his. They were sweet and good.

Then the Flash had called up, and claimed that apparently Poison Ivy was lurking around Keystone. He claimed he needed assistance and asked for Nightwing. Normally, Bruce had no qualms sending Damian off to fight crime. Damian had become Nightwing recently, after Dick had chosen the name. Dick always chose the name. He'd picked Damian's old name as Robin when he was just three. Now he'd chosen the name Nightwing because of Clark's story. Tim was picking the mantle of Robin up at the age of eleven, the same age that Damian had started at, with the name of Redbird before he switched to Robin.

All those name changes was the precise reason that Bruce was hesitant to send Damian to Keystone. Sure his sixteen-year old eldest could handle himself in a fight. But Nightwing was just gaining a reputation, and this was the first time Damian had chosen an identity as a solo fighter. He still had to discover the Damian-cam that Bruce had installed to follow his son around.

Then Alfred had in his stoic and calm voice simply said, "Why don't you go with him, Master Bruce?"

The idea was so ludicrously simple, that Bruce had agreed to go. Tim was disappointed that Bruce benched him as Robin, but agreed to it while Bruce went with Damian to Keystone. His eldest was obviously hurt, and refused to talk to Bruce (not the first fight they'd had which ended in the silent treatment), resulting in Bruce agreeing to stay in Keystone as Bruce Wayne. Not as Batman.

The agreement was the stupidest thing he had ever done. In a resigned manner, Bruce Wayne attended galas and had to sneak off to the bathroom to hack security feeds and track Nightwing and Flash. The Damian-cam was on 24-7, and he was torn between beaming as his son threw a thug into the wall, and calling Damian to lecture him about watching his surroundings when the second thug landed a punch on Damian's jaw. Fortunately, Bruce was able to finally relax once Damian claimed he'd gotten a lead to Poison Ivy.

The lead was the reason Bruce found himself in the hick town of Blue Valley, Nebraska. He had come to the town as Matches Malone, not Bruce Wayne. Matches was driving through Blue Valley with his son. From what Damian had explained of Ivy's plan, she was getting revenge on the farmers who bred cows and were killing the plants to feed the cows. Apparently Blue Valley was a provider of the bulk of the meats for Central City.

The night Damian went off to grab Ivy, with the Flash as back-up, Matches Malone decided to saunter up to a little bar called The Watering Hole. Bruce had figured he might as well gather some intel on Blue Valley's crime for the Flash while he was here. Not that he was expecting much.

At the bar, Matches ended up sitting beside a man named Rudolph West. Bruce immediately didn't like the man. For one thing, he was abrasive and loud, drinking too much and complaining. Matches was the unfortunate listener.

He learned that Rudy, as he preferred to be called, was a mechanic. He worked long hours, had a nice wife named Mary, and a son named Wallace. Wallace was too loud. The kid was always making a mess. He wasn't as powerful or strong as Rudy had wanted. Mary had gained too much weight during her pregnancy with Wallace and now her tits sagged caused the kid was always hungry as a baby. By the end of the night, Matches had learned nothing about Blue Valley's crime scene, and all too much about the abrasive and rude brat Rudy was raising to be an abrasive and rude man just like his father.

It was, however, out of the goodness of Bruce Wayne's heart, that he loudly clapped Rudy on the back, and helped the man out of the god-forsaken bar. He refused to let Rudy drive. The man could barely see straight and it was two in the morning. He drove Rudy's car back to the address plugged in as home on the GPS system. Rudy was passed out beside him.

The house, when he got there, was a small little thing tucked in between a row of tiny homes. The front porch looked beaten and weathered. There was a broken window in the front yard that had been taped over. But other than that, the house seemed fairly normal. Matches shook Rudy awake, and escorted the drunk man to the door. Rudy fumbled with his keys, unable to find the right one as he loudly cursed. None of the neighbors even bothered to take a peak. Nobody cared.

Once inside the house, a light flickered on from upstairs. A little boy, no more than three maybe, peeked out from the corner. He stared with one wide-green eye at the scene. Bruce froze as he took in the sight of the tiny kid, holding a raggedy little bear in one hand. He was wearing an oversized shirt and pyjama pants. The kid looked terrified, and Bruce felt his heart go out to the kid.

"Mary!" bellowed Rudy to the house, "Get yer ass down here!"

No answer. A sinking feeling sat in Bruce's stomach. He glanced around, finally finding a small note hooked to the wooden key-holder by the door-way. Rudy was still yelling for Mary as Bruce calmly plucked the note. The answer was crystal.

'I'm sorry Rudy, but I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of hearing you were promised a powerful son. I'm sorry I couldn't be the wife you wanted, or the mother Wallace needed. Please don't strike out at Wally like you've done to me. Maybe he'll be able to match your expectations one day. But I can't. I'm tired of this marriage. My mother was right, we rushed into this. I'm done. Tell Wallace I loved him.'

So Rudy had been hitting his wife. Bruce immediately felt worried, as he glanced back to the little boy, staring down at the scene. From what he'd garnered of Rudolph West, the man was in no way fit to be a father. Let alone to the quiet and helpless child. And Mary West must have been young, probably in her early twenties and sought a quick escape from a marriage she'd jumped into that went all wrong.

"Wallace!" called Rudy, the belligerent drunk, "Get yer ass down here."

The boy was trembling as he came down the stairs. Despite his fear though, he took his time to hop every other step. Clearly the boy still had some spunk left in him, despite growing up in this filth. Bruce couldn't help the small smile. It reminded him of his own kids. The spunky little things that came from unbelievable conditions.

"Daddy?" asked the little boy, at the bottom of the stairs, clutching his teddy closer to his chest.

Bruce gave the boy a look over. His face was dusted with freckles along his nose and cheeks. He had an unruly mop of red hair on his head, with some stray hair falling into his eyes. And what eyes. They were big and green and twinkly like the Teodora Emerald Catwoman had tried to steal just two months back. There was a spark in his eye, one that Bruce was certain Rudy couldn't appreciate.

"Where's Mary?" asked Rudy picking the kid up with one meaty hand tugging on that over-sized grey pyjama shirt.

"Mommy- I don't know," said the boy quickly.

Rudy shook him, and Wallace whimpered, before the man dropped him. From the height he fell at, Bruce was certain he'd get hurt. And he did. There was a whimper as the boy bruised his elbow and twisted his ankle. And that's when Bruce stepped in.

"Hey now! Let the kid alone Rudy," he said in his slick Matches persona.

"Don't tell me how to treat my kid!" growled Rudy, swinging a fist at Matches, "He knows where Mary is!"

"Look, relax man," said Matches quickly, "I'm on your side! The bitch is probably just passed out somewhere. And anyways, whatsit matter? I can get you a better bitch in a matter of minutes, so let it alone Rudy. Besides, she probably was still carrying some pounds."

Matches slung an arm over Rudy's shoulder, while leading him to the couch, "What you need is a nap or some more whiskey."

He pressed a pressure point in Rudy's neck, causing the man to slump over. He was unconscious in a matter of a minute. Glancing at the beefy man, he carelessly dumped the man onto the couch. Rudy deserved much less in his opinion. Before he left, however, he heard the whimper from the small child in the entry way.

"C'mere kid," he said to the boy, and with wide, uncertain eyes, Wally approached the stranger.

"W- What did you do to Daddy?" he asked, staring at Rudy's limp form. Smart kid, picking up that he'd caused the damage.

"He's just asleep kid. How old are you anyways?" he asked, as he lead the kid into the small kitchen at the back of the house.

It was with amusement that Bruce watched the kid slowly follow him, but stay a few feet away. The boy still didn't trust him, so he was definitely smarter then the average kid. But he was assessing him to not be a threat. Which was pretty amazing since any ordinary kid in this situation wouldn't go ten feet near a stranger who smelled like alcohol. This kid was definitely not ordinary.

"I'm going to be four on November 11th!" said the boy easily, looking proud at the idea. But it was September, and the kid was only three. Just two years younger to Dick.

"Is that so?" asked Matches, as he searched through the cabinets, "Where's yer ma's first aid kid?"

"She keeps one in her room, and under the sink," said the boy easily.

"So your name is Wallace, bit of a mouthful for a kid," said Matches as he fetched out some rubbing alcohol, bandages, and what looked like a bottle of wine. Some first aid kit.

"Mommy called me Wally," said the boy with a shrug, as Matches lifted him up to the counter, "You didn't kill Daddy, right?"

Bruce looked into the kid's eyes, and sighed. The boy was smart not to trust a total stranger, but this was getting old fast. He rolled up his sleeve, and held out his wrist to the boy. He took Wally's hand, and gently placed two fingers on his pulse.

"That's my pulse," said Bruce quietly, "When I'm done wrapping your ankle, you can check your dad for one. It means he's alive, okay kid?"

Wally's tiny fingers played on Bruce's hand. They were cold, but he couldn't help the warmth that spread through his body as the kid wrapped his tiny little hand on his wrist, as far as he could. The boy nodded to Bruce, and loosened his grip on the bear.

"Who's yer friend?" asked Matches, nodding to the bear.

"He's Flash," said the boy with a grin, "Mommy got him from the toy-store the Flash saved from the Trickster all the way in Central when I was just born!"

Bruce nodded, and felt a little miffed. A Flash fan? That was going to have to change if the kid was going to be spending more time with Bruce. Except why was the kid hanging around with him? Bruce felt that familiar tug he'd felt with his children, and sighed. He'd have to think about this more. He wanted to help the kid, he really did, but Bruce Wayne had no ties to this kid at all. And Wally was from Central.

"Hey mister, in the movie the doc checked the pulse on the neck. Why'd you use your hand? Are you lying to me?" asked the boy suddenly, as Bruce began to wrap Wally's sprained ankle with the bandages.

Bruce glanced up at the boy, who was looking curiously at Wally. He doubted the movie the boy was talking about was for kids, based on his home environment, but apparently the boy was smart enough to retain that knowledge.

"That's the carotid pulse," said Bruce firmly, "What I checked was the radial pulse. They're both part of veins connected to your heart."

And that's why adopting a kid was a bad idea. Inwardly, Bruce cursed. That's not how you explained things to young kids. You used magic and bubbly terms that were sweet sounding. Not biology terms. He opened his mouth to correct himself only for Wally to interrupt.

"So the carrot pulse is connected to my heart?" asked the boy with interest, "Why's it called the carrot pulse if it's in my neck? And why's the other one the raid-eel pulse? Are veins important? What do veins do?"

Bruce stared at the boy. He'd never expected a three year old to ask such insightful questions. He stared at the kid, before a smile came on his face. An odd little kid indeed. Just like his other little odd-balls at home. And if he liked biology, well, Tim did say he wanted a souvenir from the trip.


	2. Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian learns about his father's interest in the new brat, and takes it upon himself to learn about Wallace West.

"Where were you all night?" asked Damian when Bruce came back to their hotel around eight in the morning.

"Busy," said Bruce, thinking back to Wally and how warm the kid had felt beside him as he tucked the kid into bed. He could remember their entire conversation about veins and nerves, which lead to a conversation about wires and electricity. And the three year old soaked it up like a sponge. He was such a smart boy.

"Flash and I arrested Ivy. She's on her way to Belle Reve," said Damian, as Bruce nodded.

Damian narrowed his eyes. It wasn't like his father to be so distant. He could only count a handful of times his father didn't ask for a full debrief of his training schedule or mission. In fact, there were only four times to be precise.

"Who's the brat this time?" asked Damian with a scowl.

Bruce turned to look at Damian in surprise. Damian scoffed at his father's confused expression. Damian crossed his arms, feeling a bit miffed that his first solo mission against a big-time villain was being brushed under the rug because his father had found a new stray. And here he was trying to do good work and all his father could do was act doe-eyed about some new brat.

"Don't give me that look Father," said Damian, rolling his eyes, "The last time you didn't ask for a full debrief of the mission, you had gone to a circus where a little boy witnessed his parents die and then a month later I was presented with a new brother who insisted he help catch Zucco. As I recall, the only way to keep him off the streets was to change my name to Robin so he could feel like he had helped get vengeance and ensure that one day he would carry the family legacy and become a crime fighter. At least tell me the new child is house-trained."

"He's a good kid," said Bruce, finally admitting the truth as he sat down on the twin bed across from Damian's, "But he's in a bad situation."

"That's the standard for our family," said Damian with a shrug. He couldn't quite get what the problem was, "When are we picking him up?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet," said Bruce firmly, "I contacted CPS to get the boy out of the situation. They'll pick him up in an hour and he'll be moved to an orphanage in Keystone."

"Father, do not lie to me," said Damian, glaring at the man, "You have already been charmed by the child. You already want to adopt the boy and add him to your ever-growing brood of brats."

"Just because I want to doesn't mean I can," said Bruce with a sigh, "He could have other relatives. His mother cut off her ties to her son, but his father could have relatives. And he's young. He could have a chance in a family that isn't quite like ours."

"While I may not like the children you choose Father," said Damien sternly, "I have found that they do oddly enough fit in with us."

"I don't doubt he won't fit in," said Bruce quickly, "I just- What if he deserves better?"

"Father, you're impossible," said Damian with a sigh. Really, his father was so observant about everything else, but here he was acting like a girl in love. Exactly how he'd acted the first time he met Drake. And even when he met the bratty Todd. "Call Pennyworth and discuss it."

"Are you okay if I do adopt another son?" asked Bruce, and Damian arched an eyebrow.

He'd always been asked the question, and despite vehemently denying that he wanted a brother, he'd gotten Drake. Later Damian learned that Pennyworth had thought his refusal stemmed from jealousy and childish insecurities, rather than plain old hatred for the idiot. He'd been perfectly alright when Cain was adopted, and could even relate to the girl. That time the question hadn't been asked since Cain was taken in as Witness Protection before Father decided to make the move permanent. When Todd came along, they'd all been asked the question, and Damian had tried once again to debate the situation. Wasn't two brats enough? By the time his father decided to adopt Grayson, Damian had simply given up and left his father to his childish whimsies with the rugrats.

"As long as the brat isn't like Todd or Drake, than I really don't care," said Damian with a shrug, "Though the odds suggest I won't like this brat. I prefer every other child that you adopt anyways, and since I already chose to be amicable with Grayson and Cain, this child is most likely a brat."

"Damian. Be nice to your brothers," said his father with a warning glance, but a slight smirk on his lips, "I'm tracking what happens to the boy with CPS. Get some rest son, we'll head back to Keystone in the evening."

"At least give me a name to the newest urchin in your collection," said Damian as he headed to the bathroom to change into pyjamas.

"Wally West," said Bruce firmly.

Just as Damian had predicted, it took less than a week for him to end up outside the doors to the CPS agent, and staring at bouncy three year old red-head. Well, as bouncy as a kid can be after being taken from their home in the early morning, and then being shoved into an orphanage. Father had tracked the progress to the West case, and determined that his mother had handed over the rights, and the father was deemed unfit after he tried to attack the CPS agent taking Wally away. That, combined with the fact that Wally had been injured and the man couldn't remember why, well, the case was pretty much done with. Rudolph West wasn't getting custody until he dealt with his alcohol problem. Which meant that West Sr. was never getting custody.

His aunts and grandparents on the West side of the family had been located. The elder one, Charlotte Rhodes, had signed over her rights to Wally, claiming she didn't want anything to do with her brother. The grandfather was too old to adopt a child. The youngest aunt, Iris, had just graduated from college with a pile of student debts on her head. While she had initially agreed to adopt Wally, once Bruce Wayne expressed an interest, she had agreed to sign her rights to Wally over to Bruce, as long as she could still visit as his aunt.

Damian was almost surprised by how easily all of this had occurred. It was almost like it was meant to be. If Damian believed in that sort of nonsense. No, that was more up Colin's alley. As he stared at the three year old, almost four, who fidgeted far too much in his pathetic blue jeans and red t-shirt, Damian couldn't help but be reminded of his oldest friend, Colin Wilkes. The same red hair. The same wide-eyed look. And something very innocent about them. West was small for a child his age. Probably from a lack of nourishment. He had a terrible habit of biting his lower lip, especially when he wanted to say something or was nervous. Like right now. He'd been chewing on his lower lip since Damian had walked in and sat across from him.

"So, are you my new brother?" asked the boy finally.

Apparently he was plucky. The boy had been trying to muster up courage to approach Damian for the last fifteen minutes. Damian had to admit, for a boy just taken out of his home, he was brave. Especially since Damian knew how imposing he looked, dressed in a suit for the occasion and playing the part of the posh rich son of Bruce Wayne. Most children avoided approaching the teenager in the suit with a permanent scowl. Maybe this one had no self-preservation skills, much like Grayson. Did abusive home situations and acrobats go hand in hand in that department?

"You're going to be my father's newest son," said Damian with a shrug, as he continued flipping through his magazine, "So I suppose that yes, we will be brothers."

"I've never had a brother before," said the boy, as though it was brand new information to Damian.

"I know. It's very fortunate that you haven't," continued Damian, "Now you have four and a sister."

"I'm going to have four brothers and a sister?!" squeaked the boy, staring at Damian in awe, "What are the others like? Are they like you?"

"Hardly. Drake is a pathetic do-gooder who wastes his time reading books instead of training. Todd trains far too much and has a foul mouth. Grayson is bearable but he likes to cuddle and has an unfortunate habit of skewering the English language, but he is quite adept at mathematics for a boy his age. Cain is also bearable though unlike Grayson she hardly ever speaks and her best friend Brown is at our home far too often," said Damian with a shrug.

"Oh," said West, looking lost and nervous. Well, let it not be said that Damian Wayne was good with children.

Sighing, Damian tried to reassure the boy and but his magazine down. He had no interest in the frivolous blondes adorning the cover anyways. There was nothing sincere about their expressions, unlike Colin. And with that last thought, he turned to Wally and said, "You'll like Grayson, he's only two years elder to you and he seems to be adept when dealing with other children. He's five, but will turn six in December. As for the others, if they bother you, tell father or Pennyworth."

"And we're going to be living in Gotham?" asked the boy, repeating his dance of chewing on his lower lip.

A tell that would have to be trained out of the boy if he was going to be a Wayne child. However, he did change the topic. Apparently a three year old was adept at avoiding talking about feelings. Already an improvement over Todd who voiced his feelings with a multitude of curses, or Drake who spoke about his feelings in a clinical manner as though diagnosing himself. Avoidance was a much more practical outlet. Though it did make Colin look dejected every now and then, but Damian refused to admit that he cared when Colin gave him that look of a wet kitten.

"Yes. Gotham is pleasant sometimes. It's home to Batman," said Damian, latching onto a topic children adore. Grayson had delighted in Batman and Redbird stories for a long time. He'd been thrilled when Redbird became Robin, and still delighted in Batman and Robin stories, even if Drake was telling them now. Nightwing stories weren't many, but Damian enjoyed embellishing the story-lines a little. One mugger. Four muggers. Same difference to a child.

"Batman? Like the superhero? Does he know Flash?" asked the little boy, trembling now with excitement.

Damian scrunched his nose, "The Flash? Why would you like the Flash? Batman is a hero with no powers who can fight crime ten times better than the Flash. Flash only got his powers because of a freak accident with lightning and chemical waste."

"You know how the Flash got his powers?!" squeaked the little boy, adoration filling that small freckled face as his eyes widened to the size of tiny islands. Apparently all the insults of the Flash flew over his head. Stupid but cute. Just like Colin.

"Indeed," said Damian, before covering up how he knew the knowledge by saying, "My father is rich. I can know anything I want."

"So- You know lots of stuff about the Flash!? I don't know lots cause mommy didn't, but sometimes we'd see T.V and I'd see the Flash rescuing people on T.V! He rescued me and Mommy once when we went to Central and the Trickster blew snot over all the toys and mommy bought a teddy as a sou'nir for me even though I was a baby and can't remember much about it!" said the boy cheerfully.

Well. That explained the Flash obsession. Even if it was unhealthy. Another thing that would have to be trained out of the boy.

"I have lots of stories about the Flash. Shall I tell you about the time Nightwing had to help Flash apprehend Poison Ivy?" asked Damian. He was not boasting about himself to a child. He was merely encouraging the child to recognize the superior heroes.

Unfortunately, the plan to teach the child about superior heroes backfired on Damian. The little boy jumped off his chair and came over beside Damian. The sixteen-year-old watched in surprise as the boy slipped into Damian's lap with the ridiculous bear and cuddled close. Damian refused to admit he felt warmth pooling in his heart. Instead he ignored his feelings and began regaling the tale of how Nightwing took down Poison Ivy. And yes West, the Flash was there but he was both pitiful and useless. Fine. He helped too West. Please don't make that face.


	3. Meeting the Others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally goes home to Wayne Manor

Meeting the Others

Taking Wally home was a whole other fiasco. Until the papers were signed, Bruce had kept the entire story about his newest adoption hush hush. Everything had taken a little longer than expected, and he'd reached into the two week mark before he'd been able to take Wally home. He'd called Alfred after Iris had said her good-byes to Wally and promised to come visit once her internship at GBS ended. Alfred had taken the news in stride, and went about preparing a new room close to Master Richard's. He'd vaguely informed Tim and Jason about the situation, before having to deal with paparazzi and going about getting Wally his things and doing all the adoption paperwork. It was only his experience with the system that made the process go by so quickly.

Wally had never been on a plane before. Despite his confusion, he'd leeched close to Bruce and followed him through the airport. The paparazzi had gotten a few pictures, but thankfully, Bruce had been holding Wally and the boy's face never made the papers. He didn't want his new youngest to be recognizable to Gotham's scum just yet. Aboard their private jet, Damian had fallen asleep for the three hour journey back to Gotham. Wally had sat patiently in his seat beside Bruce, but during the take-off, he'd whined about his ears hurting and Bruce let him out of the seat and onto his lap.

That's where Wally remained as he continued to color. The raggedy bear-toy of Wally's had seen as much of a make-over as the boy himself. It was now stuffed properly and looked like a healthy bear toy, and to Bruce's horror, dressed in a Flash costume. It had a name now. Flash-Bear. Likewise, Wally had gotten his hair cut, and brand new clothing. He was dressed smartly in a green shirt with a puppy-face on it, and jeans, with his now shorter hair, cut with bangs that didn't get in his eyes. The boy looked twice as adorable from their first meeting, and the perfect face of a boy from a rich and healthy family, instead of a household of neglect.

"Mister Bruce," said the boy, looking up at Bruce finally after coloring for a bit.

Bruce had been studying Wally, trying to figure out why the boy was so comfortable around Bruce Wayne in their first real private interaction. All their interactions thus far had been colored by the uncomfortable presence of a social worker, which left Damian the job of interacting with Wally. Damian had been sold on the boy as soon as they'd gone into the clothing store and the boy had asked the clerk for a Nightwing shirt, 'Cause Nightwing helped the Flash so the Flash shirt needs a Nightwing shirt.' The minute the clerk had said there was no Nightwing shirt, he'd asked Bruce for one. Alfred was sewing it five minutes after that demand.

He was hard pressed to say no to Wally. Much like Dick, Wally was open and adorable, but far more innocent. The abuse he'd witnessed hadn't gotten to that fragile and innocent center the boy had. All of Bruce's children had been tainted by darkness in their lives in one way or another. Wally had not. And Bruce had inwardly promised not to let that happen to the boy.

"Mister Bruce," repeated the boy again, and Bruce realized he'd been lost in his thoughts.

"Yes Wally? And you don't have to say Mister, just call me Bruce," said the older man kindly.

"Er, this is going to sound weird and all, cause you talked different the first time we met, but why were you dressed weird and talking weird when you came to my house that night before the lady in the red suit took me away from daddy?" asked Wally.

Bruce gaped at the boy on the inside, his face blank otherwise. How had he connected Matches Malone to Bruce Wayne?! Nobody had ever done that before. Bruce was at a loss for words, as he struggled to find an appropriate answer to that question.

"How- Why do you think that was me?" asked Bruce, deciding denial was the easiest way out of this situation.

"Well, I didn't at first," said Wally solemnly, "But you guys feel kinda the same. You seem like the kind of guy who knows about carrot pulses and stuff, and I thought maybe you were that kind of guy. Plus, you and that guy were the only ones who've ever wanted me so I thought you were the same."

He looked so dejected and upset at that thought that Bruce awkwardly wrapped his arms around him. Five kids and he was still figuring out the basics of hugging. Six now. He sighed as he tried to answer that question.

"I was the same guy Wally," said Bruce softly, "And you can't tell people that, because I could get in trouble. But just because Matches Malone and Bruce Wayne are the same guy, and we both liked you, doesn't mean other people don't. Damian likes you. And Iris likes you too. We want you in our lives, because we like you Wally."

Wally listened, a little confused. If Mister Bruce and Mister Matches liked him, why didn't his mommy? Why'd she go away? Why did his daddy think he was dumb? Would Mister Bruce think he was dumb too eventually? Would he give him away? What about all the new brothers? Damian said they were okay, but what if they didn't like him?

"Everything will be okay Wally, I promise," said Bruce in a soothing voice, and Wally found himself able to believe it for just that minute.

* * *

 

Back at Wayne Manor, the boys were restless as they waited for their father to bring home the newest addition to the Wayne family. Tim had already stalked all the news outlets for pictures. Dick was super excited about having a little brother, contrary to everyone's expectations. He'd explained it by saying that he'd always been the littlest, so now he wanted to be the big brother.

Even Stephanie, Cass's best friend, had come over for a bit of the day. She'd been bouncy and happy as she jumped around, regaling the world with stories about the streets of Gotham. But that wasn't distracting enough. And she'd been gone for an hour now, unable to stay past her curfew of six o'clock. The group was waiting for Wally, who'd be home any minute now. Tim had set an alarm. As soon as the door opened to the house, they'd jump Bruce to see Wally. But the wait was taking forever!

WHEE! WHEEE! WHEEEEE!

It rang through the house, a screechy sound. Tim disabled it with a click of his mouse, before running away from the computer to the front door. Dick had been waiting by the stairs, and the little acrobat flipped off the rails and raced ahead. Cass was downstairs, the smartest of them all, and in the kitchen with Alfred. She and Alfred were at the front door before anyone of them else.

"Where is he?!" yelled Dick, sounding all too much like the excited five year old he was.

"Cool your jets Dickie-bird," said Jason, as he slid down the banister of the steps, wearing only a pair of gym shorts and socks as he balanced his arms to the side, grinning before he flipped over the steps.

Through out his impressive manoeuvre, Tim had studied the newest member to the Wayne family. Wallace Rudolph West. The almost-four-year-old in Bruce Wayne's arms had stared at Jason in awe, his green eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Tim had expected a shy little boy with a beaten down ego, as per most abuse cases.

Instead, the first thing out of Wally's mouth was, "How'd he do that?"

"Years of training, Master Wallace," said Alfred, "Dinner is ready Master Bruce. Let us acquaint ourselves with our newest family member at the dinner table."

And like that, Wally ended up seated in a booster seat beside Dick at the dinner table. Cass was already swayed by the little boy's open demeanor and easy to read body language. He'd followed Jason to the table with an obvious worship in his eyes. Jason had crowed in delight. And now, at the dinner table, he was giggling away with Dick. They were talking about pranks Dick had pulled on Bruce and Jason and Damian.

Tim felt uncomfortable with the kid. It was standard protocol that the brothers didn't get along with every single one of them. Tim's mortal enemy was Damian and vice versa. Jason had hated Tim until Dick came along. Damian hated all of them but Dick and Cass. Dick had a love-hate relationship with Jason. If Wally got along with all his brothers thus far, then it stood to reason that Wally and Tim wouldn't get along.

After dinner, Dick whisked Wally away to show him all his toys. A friendship and brotherhood that would be for the ages. Jason went with them, despite his claims that he wasn't a baby. Probably to continue showing off to the impressionable Wally. Damian hid himself in his room. Most likely to call Colin and brag about his mission. Or maybe he'd cave into his feelings and pour his heart out to Colin. But from Tim's observations, they'd get together around prom and Colin would be the one who ended up resolving their sexual tension.

Cass disappeared to call Steph and share all the details about her new baby brother. They'd talk for hours, leaving Tim alone. At least he'd be able to patrol tonight. He headed to his room and began to fiddle with his Robin gear. He was upgrading his bo staff to electrocute like a taser. Damian thought he was weak for even using the bo staff, but he liked it anyways. After about an hour of fiddling, there was a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" called Tim, though there was only a handful of people that knocked in this family. Bruce. Alfred. Cass.

"It's Dick and Wally!" called Dick.

Tim grunted and the two came in, looking flush and excited. They were already wearing matching pajamas, Dick's in blue and Wally's in green. They were even holding hands. Alfred would have lots of camera film to use on the newest dynamic duo in the house. With a wry smirk at the thought, Tim beckoned them inside.

"Whatcha doing- Tim?" asked Wally, hesitating and sending Dick a questioning look about the name. Dick beamed back, so Wally smiled widely.

"Working on my new staff," said Tim with a shrug, "It's not quite ready for patrol tonight."

"What's petrol?" asked Wally curiously, as Dick lead him over to Tim.

"Patrol," corrected Tim, "And it's when me and Bruce and Damian scour Gotham at nights."

"Why?" asked Wally, looking curiously at Tim and Dick.

"Cause that's what Batman and Robin do silly," said Dick with an air of all-knowingness to him.

"Be nice," said Tim absently, before pausing and glancing at Wally. From the way the boy's jaw dropped and the stare he was sending of absolute confusion, Tim realized what Dick didn't. Wally hadn't quite known that family secret just yet.

"Dick, go call dad," said Tim, pinching his nose as Wally began to ask questions at a mile a minute that Tim wasn't really paying attention to.

"Dad didn't tell him?" asked Dick, sounding confused, but at a second look from Tim, he was gone.

"Wally," said Tim, holding the boy's shoulders steady as he tried to figure out how to explain this, "Er- Surprise."

"What did he mean by Batman and Robin?! I thought Bruce was only Mister Matches! Are you Batman?" asked Wally, looking scared.

Tim raised an eyebrow. He was definitely going to ask Bruce about why Wally knew about his alter ego as Matches Malone and not about Batman tonight during patrol. Only Damian and Bruce, and probably Alfred knew the full story of Wally's adoption. He was definitely going to fix that tonight.

"Look, I know this must be confusing," began Tim as gently as he could, "But Bruce is indeed Batman, and I'm Robin. Damian was Robin, but now he's Nightwing."

"Tim, I'll take over," said Bruce sternly, "Take Dick to bed."

And Tim was just too glad to oblige.

* * *

 

Two hours later, Tim was suited up for patrol with Bruce that night. They were sailing over the city, as Bruce regaled Tim with the tale of Robin's adoption. Down in the Bat Cave, Jason and Cass were listening over the comms as they monitored the police alerts and bat signals. Alfred would take over when it was their bed time.

Upstairs, Wally trudged to Dick's room. He'd had a nightmare that Batman hadn't come to his house and he was with daddy but mommy had left and nobody wanted him anymore. His head hurt and his new room was too big and scary. He didn't remember where everyone's room were from when Dick was showing him around.

"Dick," said Wally, approaching the sleeping older figure in the bed of the house.

"Mmm," said the boy, opening a blue eye, before sitting up to see Wally, "Wally? Wassamatter?"

"I couldn't sleep," confessed Wally, "And I don't know where anyone else is."

"Probably in the cave," said Dick, as he rubbed his eyes, "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," said Wally nervously, before he glanced at the ground, "Flash-Bear was too scared in our room so I brought him here, is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," said Dick with a wide smile, "I'm your big brother now, and that means you have to come to me when you're scared, okay?"

"Kay," said Wally with a blush.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" offered Dick, scooching over in his bed and holding the blanket out.

Wally scrambled into the bed beside Dick, letting the blanket drop around him. Dick wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. His new best friend. His new little brother. Wally snuggled closer to Dick, as he quietly said, "Can I stay with you and everyone else forever?"

"Course you can," said Dick sleepily, "Why wouldn't you?"

"Daddy didn't like me, and neither did mommy. She even left me," said Wally with a shrug, his eyes wetting with tears as he remembered waking up and being taken away.

"Well they're stupid," said Dick firmly, "I like you. Bruce likes you. And Bruce is Batman! He knows who's cool."

"Like the Flash?" asked Wally shyly, "Do you think Bruce knows the Flash?"

"Bruce knows everyone. He knows Superman even! I bet he knows Flash too," said Dick with a yawn, "And if Bruce likes them, and he likes you and me, then we're as cool as Superman and Flash!"

"Wow," said Wally, squeaking in delight at Dick's profound knowledge, "Really?"

"Really," confirmed Dick, and Wally nuzzled closer, letting Flash-bear drop to the side. His eyes shut with that knowledge, and he was at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I skipped the long Batman and Robin discussion Wally went through for the mere fact that I didn't know how to write it and thus I chickened out. Maybe I'll do a flash-back to the convo later, but for now, this is how it went down.


	4. Becoming Kid Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally West-Wayne is now nine years old, and on his way to becoming the first ever Kid Flash.

Wally West-Wayne was nine years old. His aunt Iris was engaged to the Flash! The very same Flash who had been visiting Wally on every birthday of his since his fourth. It turned out that the Flash's secret identity was Barry Allen, a forensic scientist. His dad was Batman.

Now, Wally may have Batman for a dad, but he'd never quite been able to shake his adulation of the Flash, much to the dismay of his father and brothers. Cass was always sympathetic to his cause, and Alfred his aid. Wally just adored the Flash. Everyone loved the Flash, he was the nicest guy in the whole wide world! Wally wished he was as cool as the Flash! 

And if that wasn't cool enough, he had the best brothers. His oldest brother was Nightwing, and he was Bludhaven's hero with his boyfriend Abuse. His second oldest brother was Red Robin, leader of the Teen Titans with Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Tempest, and his on and off girlfriend Spoiler. His third brother had nearly died after being Robin and fighting the Joker, which wasn't actually that cool at all. But now he was the Red Hood with temper issues against child abuse and the Joker, and a solo hero in Gotham with a preference for guns. The last bit strained his relationship with dad, and lead to many arguments. His fourth oldest brother, Dick Grayson-Wayne was Robin now. His sister, Cassandra Cain-Wayne was Black Bat and she lived all the way off in Hong Kong.

Despite all his cool brothers, and his oh-so-awesome family, Wally was lonely. He was so very lonely. All his older siblings were doing cool vigilante stuff, and Wally wasn't. His dad said he was too little. And it didn't help that Wally's favourite thing to do was run or play around with the tools in his dad's lab. He just wasn't a natural at martial arts and acrobatics like his big brother Dick. Wally preferred science and direct combat. He loved helping his dad and Tim in synthesizing antidotes to poisons and breaking down things like fear gas. But most of all, he really wanted to be a partner to a hero.

Jason had already shot him down claiming he didn't need the responsibility. Dad had Dick. Damian had Colin, and there was no way Wally was getting in the middle of that relationship. Tim had his team. And Cass was all the way in Hong Kong and Wally wasn't old enough to live alone with Cass. Plus Wally had school and he couldn't miss school to go help Cass in Hong Kong. He could move, but that meant leaving Dick behind. What he really wanted, most of all, was to be the Flash's partner. Only one problem, Wally didn't have super speed.

But that was okay. Because Wally had a fool-proof plan. After his dearest Auntie Iris had become engaged to the Flash, she'd introduced him to Wally during Wally's annual visit to Central City to see her. Not as Flash, obviously, but as Barry Allen. They hadn't expected his dad to recognize her boyfriend, or for Auntie Iris to turn out to be the Flash's fiance.

After that awesome set of coincidences, Wally had found the Flash's very own set of notes, detailing how he'd become the Flash! He'd read over all the chemical compounds, and deduced that all of this stuff was in the Bat Cave. After taking a few pictures of the notes with his iPhone, he'd left ten times happier then ever. Everyone had assumed it was because his long-time hero, the Flash, was marrying his favourite Auntie, which was part of the reason.

But right now, Wally was in the Bat Cave. His dad was on a mission and would be back tomorrow morning. He'd taken Dick with him. The perfect time to concoct his plan was now, while he was alone in the mansion except for Alfred. Wally had gathered all the chemicals his dad used, and whatever compounds weren't in his dad's cupboard were easily manufactured. After all, Tim and Dad had taught him all about chemistry. He'd done harder stuff before he was even eight-years old.

Then Wally had hooked up the generator and brought the wire to where the chemicals were, to fake the lightning. This was it. He was using the most powerful generator in the Bat Cave to mimic the effects of lightning. Without a second thought, Wally snapped the cable, and let the chemicals he was holding break over him.

* * *

 

Pain.

Fire licking his knees, teasing under his back, rising through his veins. Screaming. He could hear someone screaming.  _Itburned._  His entire body burned and he was thrashing to get away from the fire. He screamed himself hoarse. His nails dug into his skin. His teeth tore apart his lower lip, he was bleeding. Blood. Iron. He could taste it on his tongue, pouring into his mouth.

A scream tore through his throat again. He couldn't see anything but white light and fire. Lots of fire. His hand was clenched into a fist. His muscles seized. He was shaking, his entire body was shaking. He couldn't feel his legs. Every nerve was screaming, and silencing itself. Now he couldn't feel his arms, but his legs were shaking and twisting and it hurt. His spine was convulsing and he was vibrating and  _makeitstopmakeitstop!_ Dad! Uncle Barry! Dick!

He couldn't feel anything.

This had not been anticipated.

* * *

 

“I'm so sorry Bruce,” said an anguished Barry Allen, as he stood outside the Watchtower hospital room.

Batman stood there, staring at his small, red-headed son laying comatose in the bed. Beside him, the Flash stood, looking small and pathetic. Just like he was. Bruce wasn't paying any attention to Barry. His hands were fixed to the glass. Clark was on the comm-links, warding off Wally's brothers.

It wasn't entirely Barry's fault. Bruce should have realized Wally was feeling abandoned. The boy had always been afraid of loneliness and abandonment, and with the older boys moving out, and Dick becoming Robin, he should have realized Wally was feeling lonely. And a lonely Wally had the tendency to strike out and do irrational things. Like try and replicate the Flash experiment in the Bat Cave while Alfred was cooking dinner.

His screams had alerted both Alfred and Bruce. Bruce had been calling into the cave to leave a message that he was coming home early. He and Robin had wrapped up their mission early. But obviously, things never were that easy. As soon as he'd heard the screaming, Bruce had sent out the alert to all members of his family that there was trouble in the cave.

Alfred had gotten there first, and upon realizing what was going on, had had the good sense to turn off the generator. As soon as he'd reached the small, nine-year old's limp little body, Alfred had scooped him into his arms and began administering first aid. Wally's heart had stopped. He'd literally blown himself up. There were second and third degree burns. He'd bit his lip to the point it required stitches. And he was unconscious.

Jason had arrived next. He'd only been ten minutes away, patrolling the West end of Gotham. Ironic. He'd taken one look at Alfred's determined expression and Wally's broken body and cursed up a storm before he began tending to the burns and trying to help.

Damian and Colin had arrived next. Damian had been furious, but had immediately begun to investigate the scene of the crime like a professional. He was looking for the answer to who had done this to Wally. Samples of the chemicals were collected and stored.

Bruce and Dick had been the next to enter. Dick had fallen apart at the sight of Wally's burnt up body. Bruce had hardly been any better, but he knew that Alfred and Jason weren't enough. Without even thinking, Bruce had overrode commands in the Watchtower and called out an emergency medical alert. Five minutes later, he'd taken Wally's limp body into the Javelin and flown him to space. With the state Wally was in, he didn't want to risk the Zeta Beams.

Ten minutes after Wally had been taken by J'onn and himself for surgery, Tim had arrived at the Cave. He and Damian had managed to analyze the chemicals and find Wally's notes. As soon as Wally was stabilized and in a hospital room, Tim had called Bruce to inform him that Wally had been trying to recreate the Flash experiment.

Jason and Damian, being the brash boys they were, went after Barry Allen. Iris was obviously distraught at finding out the condition of her favorite nephew. Barry had arrived at the Watchtower with a split lip and broken rib. Bruce admitted to having punched Barry's broken rib as soon as he'd seen him, before banishing the man from his sight.

That was four days ago. Wally's condition was showing signs of accelerated improvement, which both Bruce and J'onn concluded could only suggest one thing. Wally had been successful. And despite all of Bruce's attempts to convince his baby boy to stay away from meta-human powers, he now had a meta for a son.

“All of Wally's burns have healed. He has some scars, but they're all gone,” said Batman in a clipped tone, “Far sooner then they should be.”

“I- Bruce- Are you suggesting-

“When Wally wakes up, and if this accelerated healing suggests what it must be,” interrupted Batman, “Then I suggest you begin investing in more rings. Wally is going to need a tutor, Allen. And since you're the cause for his condition, you will be training him.”

Batman tuned out to Barry's wholehearted agreement as he watched his baby sleeping. Once Barry left, Bruce slipped into the hospital room and held his son's tiny little hand. He made a vow, then and there, that nothing, and he meant nothing, would hurt Wally ever again.  


	5. Not the Worst Thing I Could Have Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally's thirteen, and being Kid Flash, wasn't the worst thing he's ever done.

Wally West-Wayne was thirteen, almost fourteen now. He had been sidekick to the Flash for the last four years! After blowing himself up at the tender age of nine, and a month floating in space as time began to slowly speed up around him, he'd been released to find out that the Flash had agreed to train him. Because- it had worked! He'd turned himself into a speedster! It had been hard at first, slowing down. He'd spent a full three days unable to talk normally with his brothers.

Which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing. They had been so upset since none of them had gotten to see him after his first week in the hospital. The Watchtower clearance had been suspended after Damian and Jason went to beat up the Flash, and Dick had hacked into the servers to play pranks. Tim had stolen files from the Watchtower, thus being suspended himself. The only person who could come see him was Cass. By the time Wally could once again speak normally with his brothers, they'd been so thrilled that they forgot to lecture him about blowing himself up.

They'd all suspiciously moved back into the manor for a few weeks, despite Damian having an apartment and boyfriend in Bludhaven, despite Tim having his own team in San Francisco that he had to visit, despite Jason having issues with their dad and preferring to work solo with his guns. Cass had come by and babied him tremendously in her own Cass way, which consisted of both listening to him, and forcing him to sleep when his body was strained and tired, or getting him food. Since she could totally read his body, she was like, ten steps ahead of him, even though he was a speedster now. Stephanie had been worse. Even though she and Tim were in an off phase again, she was over at the manor. She and Dick had teamed up to hug him tight and keep him from actually running anywhere.

Then, a week after he'd been home, his dad had sent him away. At first, Wally had been scared his dad hated him. And a small part of him was afraid that his dad was going to give him away for good. That he'd finally crossed a line he could never uncross. He'd been so sure of it after his dad told him that he was going to stay for a full two weeks with his Auntie Iris and Uncle Barry. And despite all the training on slowing down that he'd gotten, and on running, Wally hadn't fully been happy. His dad hadn't spoken to him for two weeks. He always called Wally. Always. But he didn't.

But then, he'd gone home to the best surprise ever.

* * *

 

_"Wally," came the voice of Bruce Wayne, stirring Wally away from his homework. He'd missed a lot of homework from school, but Dick was tutoring him to catch up. Wally had never been good at English or History, but he'd been excellent at Math and Science._

_"Dad?" asked Wally nervously, "Something up?"_

_"Can you come with me for a second?" asked Bruce, looking awkward, "I have something to show you."_

_"Sure thing dad," said Wally, exchanging a nervous glance with Flash-bear, and then plodding after his father._

_It was difficult to remain at a walking pace, especially since he was so nervous, but the presence of his father, solid and steady beside him, was enough to keep Wally from speeding up recklessly. He hadn't spoken to Bruce one on one since he'd blown himself up. They went out to the backyard, when his father suddenly stopped. Wally glanced nervously at the older man, feeling small and useless. He stared into his father's clear blue eyes, that looked him over. Then Bruce Wayne surprised him, and bent down to his level. His father rarely did that. Only for a very serious conversation._

_"Wally, seven weeks ago, I came home and thought you were going to die," said his father, and Wally felt the guilt that had been eating him up since the experiment rise up to his throat and swell inside of it, like a giant porcupine burrowing inside his throat and choking him._

_"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare anyoneandI'mreallysorryIdidtha-tobeaheroandIwantedtobe-_

_"I know Wally," said Bruce, smiling slightly as he ruffled Wally's hair, "I know you want to be just like the Flash. You've always wanted to be a hero like the Flash. I guess it's better than having a Kryptonian obsession. But you worried me and your brothers. And this is a big deal Wally. There's no going back now."_

_"I'm sorry," said Wally again, but he wasn't all that sorry, just scared that Bruce didn't want him no more._

_"That being said, I'm not angry with you," said Bruce, tilting Wally's head to look back at Bruce, "And from here on out, I'm going to do everything to support your decision. Barry told me that the two of you were designing potential costumes?"_

_"Yeah, I want it to be yellow! And black and red too like Robin, but lots of yellow," said Wally solemnly._

_Bruce smirked, and nodded, before saying, "Since you're going to be working with Flash now, I can't have you patrol Gotham that often. And you'll have to work out of Central a lot more. Gotham isn't ideal for people with super-speeds, so there won't be much place for you to practice. More than that, Kid Flash can't be associated with Gotham in anyway, or Batman. Too many of my enemies will head to Central to try and use Kid Flash as a method of attacking me, and the last thing you need to be is the enemy of two Rogues galleries."_

_This was it. Bruce was going to send him away. Wally clenched his fists, and bit his lower lip, looking terrified. Bruce was too busy continuing his rehearsed speech to notice,_

_"That's why when you were in Central, I built you a track to practice running on and training. It was the only way I could think of giving you a way to be Kid Flash when you're at home. The original members of the League, they know Kid Flash is the son of Batman, so I mean- you won't always have to pretend. But, I want you to know, even if the Flash family doesn't belong in Gotham, Kid Flash is always a part of the Wayne family."_

_Wally went still, and then stared up at Bruce, slack-jawed and in shock. Bruce looked at his son, who'd started to tremble, before vibrating quickly. He was speaking at high-speeds, and Bruce knew that was going to get irritating fast._

_"Wally," he said slowly, "Slow down."_

_"You're not sending me away!? You're going to keep me even though I'm a meta and Batman doesn't like metas?" asked Wally slowly, sounding so scared._

_"Hey, Batman doesn't like metas in Gotham, but he likes his sons at home," said Bruce, scooping Wally up into a hug. He'd gotten better at that. Both of them ignored Wally's tightening grip, and the tears that were coating Bruce's shoulders didn't exist. Nor was Bruce rubbing soothing circles on Wally's back as he lead his Kid to the track. Within ten minutes, Wally was out of his arms and racing around on the new track, practicing punches at super-speeds on the dummies Bruce had made, and laughing loudly with infectious excitement._

* * *

 

 

And now, he was thirteen and standing beside his big brother, Robin, and his mentor Flash, and his dad, Batman, in front of the Hall of Justice. Flash placed a proud hand on his shoulder, and Wally beamed up to his Uncle Barry, excitement fluttering through his body. The adrenaline from his fight with Captain Cold just minutes ago was still pumping through his heart. He was really here! He'd proven himself to the world! He could even see his Auntie Iris's proud smile as she stood in the sea of reporters, reciting the monumental story to the world.

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice Kid," said Barry, squeezing his shoulder proudly.

"Congratulations boys," said the quiet murmur of the Batman, just audible enough that Robin and Kid Flash could hear, and only because of their training from youth with the Batman. It was the only way Bruce could be openly proud of both his sons. After all, if anyone knew Kid Flash lived in Gotham, then it would create a huge controversy. Batman was the only Leaguer to openly have partners for the longest time until Kid Flash and Speedy.

Most people had accepted Batman's teen sidekicks as a Gotham quirk. Of course, everyone knew Batman and his first Robin didn't get along well. And Tim was a good Robin, but he had quickly started a team of teenage sidekicks that worked independent of the Batman. Jason- well, he wasn't a bad Robin, but his incident with the Joker had made people hesitate. That wasn't to say there hadn't been teenage meta-heroes, but the heroes had been working independently for a while. Dick was proving to be the best Robin yet.

Once the League started, and other heroes had noticed the successful nature of the partnerships Batman had with his sons and one daughter, it had prompted other heroes on. Green Arrow had gotten Speedy, and today, he was standing on the other side of the Flash, joining their motley new crew. Then Wally had blown himself up and become Kid Flash. That lead to Aquaman bringing Aqualad to the surface. And today, they were the first four youth vigilantes to be welcomed by the Justice League. The Teen Titans were an outside group, formed by youth vigilantes who had their own powers and no mentors. They weren't associated with the League. This was the first group of teens to be working directly with the League. And Wally West-Wayne was on it. Maybe blowing himself up wasn't the worst thing he could have ever done.


	6. The Cadmus Creeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid Flash is finally at the Hall of Justice. Only things don't go as he expects, and thus, they head to Cadmus. Where things get totally creepy since Cadmus is apparently run by psychos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after writing this chapter, I realized I had no way to describe Kid Flash's suit and put it here instead, because well, anywhere else would be awkward.
> 
> So, the suit. It's the sit we see in the show, with one minor change. The part of his suit which cuts to pants has a black-lightning bolt shape, meeting like a V. That black-lightning bolt on Wally's suit is thicker, and doubles as a belt. However, due to padding of the suit, it doesn't look like a belt. He also had compartment along his arms and shoulders, which are larger then the belt compartments. The inside of the suit compartments are all black, and carry various things that will be revealed over time. Like any good Bat-boy, Wally's stocked with the necessities, such as extra food, including specially designed Lightspeed bars for speedsters.
> 
> Also, his goggles are red, with black lenses. The goggles are Bat-Tech as well. He has the red lightning bolts on the side of his cowl, and his hair is revealed in the suit, but never fear, because Bat paranoia will prove much later on why Wally got away with it

So not cool. Wally West-Wayne was thirteen years old and his dad had lied to him. Flat. Out. Lied. Wally had been to the Watchtower before, right after blowing himself up. He knew the Hall of Justice was just a front. Ergo, Dick had known it was just a front. So when they did the tour of the Hall of Justice, Wally had been thoroughly confused as to why his dad told him to wait. He'd thought it odd, but supposed it was to wait until the cameras left. He wanted to ask Dick, but Dick was talking to Aqualad.

And then Speedy took off on them. Threw his hat down and everything. Speedy knew about the Watchtower. Aqualad hadn't. When Dick and Wally had realized what their dad had done, they'd been upset, sure. Dick was fifteen and thoroughly not whelmed by this betrayal. But neither of them followed Speedy out of the tower. Batman was their dad after all, and they weren't turning away from him, even if he was a big fat liar-face.

Then the alert from Cadmus came in. At first, Aqualad had been unsure. He didn't want to go, but Dick talked him into it. Dick was the smooth talker like that. Wally had just begged and pleaded and tugged Kaldur's arm and pointed to the door, occasionally slipping into speed-talk as he tried to describe how great this would be.

"I don't know, maybe you should stay back Kid," said Dick, looking uneasy. Nobody knew they were brothers. Only another method to protect their secret identities.

"Why? I can handle myself!" said Kid Flash, pouting at his older brother. He would have slipped his goggles off to reveal the green eyes behind them, but he didn't.

"You're kind of young," said Robin, as they followed Aqualad to the Cadmus facility, "C'mon Kid, your dad will be pissed off if anything happens."

"I've been doing this as long as you have," argued Kid, "And you can't stop me Robin! Besides, we're bros, aren't we? I got your back, you have mine, right?"

"Fine, just, listen to me and Aqualad, okay Kid?" said Robin, before squeezing Kid's shoulder.

"Always Rob," said Kid, hugging his brother with a knowing grin. Robin could never deny him anything, since Kid was his only younger brother. And Kid totally abused that privilege.

* * *

Cadmus. Totally evil. Like insanely crazy evil. Who knew that their little innocent looking lab where they played around with things like genetics to study the human genome was all a sham? That their actual lab was all about manipulating genes to create genomorphs for warfare? Well, at least Cadmus was interesting. Certainly not Wally or Dick. Certainly not the Bat-cave computers. So- no one.

Except for the whole be chased by the super crazy monkeys and shit and then finding Superman's clone in the lowest sub-levels of Cadmus. Which totally looked like a cheap cave and lacked all the pizazz of the Bat-Cave. Seriously. If Cadmus ever needed an interior-Cave designer, they should give Batman a call. Maybe when his dad was old and retired he could take up interior-cave design for a job. But never mind that because oh holy shit there was a Superman in a pod in Cadmus's creepy cave, and that meant nothing good. Except, the clone was like, Robin and Aqualad's age, so he was more like Superman's son.  _Superman's son. Uncle Clark's son. Oh this was so not good._

Wally was staring. He knew he was. Robin was playing with the control and all Kid Flash could do was stare at the boy in the pod dressed in a white spandex suit with the crest of the house of el on his front in a deep red, matching the color of his own Flash lightning bolt along his chest. He looked so peaceful as he slept. Wally wondered if he'd ever left the pod. He wondered if the boy had blue eyes, like Rob, or if they matched Superman's really bright blue. They were probably Superman blue. And it had to be called Superman blue, because it was a shade of it's own.

"Whoa!" yelled Wally, as the guy suddenly flew out and threw himself towards Kid.

Immediately his instincts from training as a child and with Batman kicked in, and he tucked and rolled with added super-speed out of the clone's path. Aqualad had his water-bearers out, and Robin had his birdarangs ready. The clone turned and charged towards Aqualad, growling like an animal. Wally crouched, as Robin's batarangs flew towards the clone. Wally ran between the birdarangs, using his own velocity and the wind it created to propel the birdarangs with increased force directly at Superboy.

They struck with the force equivalent to a jack-hammer landing on concrete, and while they didn't manage to break skin, they did manage to knock the Superboy off of Aqualad's warpath. Wally decelerated, as the clone roared in fury.

"Dude! This is the rescue party!" called Wally, trying to reason with him. Robin was in pure Batman-mode, and was reaching for his belt to grab the kryptonite. Superboy, however, tackled Robin in anger, having not been able to see Wally running with the Birdarangs. Wally grew angry as he saw Robin fall unconscious at the intensity of Superboy's attack. His own hand went to the compartments in his suit, searching for the mandatory kryptonite his dad told him to keep.

The clone was coming after him, and Wally cursed under his breath, using some choice Arabic curses he'd picked up from Damian, and some foul East-Gotham curses he'd learnt from Jason. Immediately Wally took off in a sprint, running up the side of the cave. Having practiced so long at it in the Bat-Cave, he was a pro at this. Unfortunately, the Bat-Cave walls were smoother then the walls of the Cadmus-Cave. Not to mention the cave never rattled the way the Cadmus-Cave had when Superboy crashed into it from Aqualad's attack as his Water-Bearers whipped out and tossed Superboy back.

Kid slipped from the walls of the cave, falling to the ground. He groaned as the wind was knocked out of him. Weakly, his arm reached out to the other, searching for the compartment. The Kryptonite was hidden on the inside of his upper left arm, right above his elbow. His fingers were just about to unlatch the case, when Superboy loomed over him. The last thing Wally saw before it all went dark was the bright, angry blue eyes. _Superman blue indeed._

* * *

' _You must awaken now!'_

Wally gasped, feeling himself suddenly jolt to awareness. His eyes widened as he glanced around, trying to figure out where he was. Only, he was strapped in a pod. And the clone was watching them. Well. Shit.

He could totally not handle that. Wally was embarrassed to be strapped inside a pod, between Aqualad and Robin, feeling like a total lam-o. And Superkid, Project Kr, the Superboy, whatever he called himself, was staring at all of them. Wally felt oddly self-conscious. In the fight, he hadn't had the time to study the boy's eyes. But they were totally Superman-blue.

Except they lacked that warm Uncle Clark goodness. They were just so angry. Like he'd never had a slice of apple pie before.

"Quit staring!" said Wally, squirming at that look. It made him feel like Uncle Clark was staring at him like that. "It's creepy dude!"

"KF," said Robin from beside him, and though Wally couldn't see his big brother, he took comfort in that soothing tone, "Let's not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"

Wally sighed, and nodded, despite the fact that his brother couldn't see him. He had never really been in a hostage situation as Kid Flash before. He'd been in a few as Wally West-Wayne, but those were dumb thugs who wanted to make a quick buck. Mostly they'd just tie him in corner and try and threaten his dad for a ransom. Usually Dick was right beside him, making dumb jokes. Or if they were gagged, they'd be talking in morse code.

The two times he'd been held hostage as Kid Flash had never been this scary. Mirror Master had held him once, but he was teamed up with Captain Cold and Cold liked Wally, sort of. Enough to not maim him. And the other time he'd been held by Abra Kadabra, who had tried to use his mind-control to turn Wally against the Flash and hadn't counted on the Flash being faster than Wally. Mind-control. Not a fun experience. Watching Kadabra get his ass handed to him, however, totally something he'd redo in a heart-beat.

"We only sought to help you," said Aqualad from Wally's other side.

"Yeah! And this is so not how you thank your would-be rescuers!" said Kid Flash, a little ticked off. Aqualad was right, they were only trying to help!

"Kid, please be quiet now. I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions," said Aqualad, and Wally clamped his mouth shut. Why couldn't he think in a situation like this? Why was he so jittery? His thoughts were going a mile a minute about how he'd never disobey his dad and Flash again.

Then the thought of the boy not being in control of himself hit Wally. If he wasn't in control of himself, then who was in control of him? He was not down to finding out.

"What if I wasn't?" asked the clone.

"You  _can_  talk?" asked Wally, genuinely surprised. For someone so grumpy, he had a pretty nice voice. It wasn't deep and reassuring like Kaldur, just, nice. Maybe when Wally was done with puberty his voice would sound like that.

"Yes, I  _can_ ," said Superboy, growling a bit.

Wally blushed, feeling once again like the kid in the room. He squirmed under that sharp _blueblue_  gaze and said, "Uh, right."

Aqualad took over the conversation there. He asked Superboy about the Genomorphs, if they had taught him. Superboy replied that he had learnt, and as Superboy talked about it, Wally thought he sounded strangely detached. Apparently, Robin agreed as he asked, "But- Have you ever seen then? Have you ever actually seen the sky, or the sun?"

"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not seen them," said Superboy, and Wally's eyes widened. That was so- so sad. He couldn't imagine a life of not seeing things. He and Flash were running all over the world now, just so he could see the world. See everything!

"Do you know who you are? What you are?" asked Aqualad, looking at Superboy curiously.

"I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the Light," came the rehearsed, almost militant answer. It sent chills up Wally's spine.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," said Aqualad, "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. One that goes beyond the solar suit you wear, one outside of your pod. Beyond Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus!" argued Superboy, sounding defensive. Batman would say they were hitting the right nerves, and Kid Flash was amazed. How had Aqualad figured out Superboy so quickly? "It is my home!"

"Your home is a test tube," said Robin, sounding as gentle and sympathetic as he could, "We could show you the sun."

"Except I think it's set right now," said Wally absently, not really thinking as he said it, "But I bet the moon is up. Totally a full moon tonight. Want to see the moon? It's way cooler then anything Cadmus can show you in here."

'We can show you, introduce you, to Superman," said Kaldur seriously, and Wally grinned.

Uncle Clark could totally use a partner! Now he just needed a name. Superboy was his name name, sure. But you didn't go around calling Robin Robin. He was Rob. Nightwing was Wing. Red Hood was hoodie. Red Robin was Red Rob, or Double R, or Burger-boy! He needed a nickname if he was going to be one of them. Super and Boy just didn't cut it? Supes? No that was Superman. Supery? Supesy? Supey!

"Yea Sup-

"No, they can't," interrupted the crazy Cadmus scientist, and then everything went to pieces.

Cloning process? Wally gaped down at the scientists, as he realized what they were trying to do. Beside him, Robin made some comment about the Bat-Cave already being crowded enough, but Wally was freaking out internally. Tim was going to be  _soso_  mad! And Jason might actually fall off the band-wagon and kill their clones and Cadmus. And Wally didn't want to die today! But the most frustrating part of all was how the guy just dismissed Supey and pushed him off as a weapon to be put back in the pod.

"How come you get to call Supey an _it_? He's not an _it_!" asked Wally, not realizing he'd let the nickname slip.

And then Supey was gone. The weird monkey thing managed to convince him to leave. Electric needles pulsed up and through Wally's suit, and then every molecule of his was on fire as they pierced into his skin. He gasped and groaned as the electricity pulsed through his veins, and he felt the pain licking through his body. It wasn't as bad as the Flash experiment, but it was definitely not whelming. From beside him, he could hear Dick's shouts of pain.

And then it was over. And Supey was standing at the door, holding the door up actually, and looking angry. Except, totally not at them! Awesome! He just pushed everyone aside, and then stood in front of them, with that angry look. Did he have heat vision? Because seriously, those eyes were one step from turning red and flaying them.

"Er- You here to help us, or fry us?" asked Kid Flash, a little nervous. What if he was just pissed off? What if he wasn't really here to help? The dude just stood there, glaring for a while, before replying, "Well, I don't seem to have heat vision, so helping is my only option."

Robin was free first. Wally gaped, and then felt like a total moron. He'd forgotten that his glove had a lock pick! And Batman had even trained him for it! His dad was going to be so disappointed in him for forgetting. How could he be such a moron and get distracted by all the shiny Cadmus craziness?

"Batman will have my head for taking so long," said Robin with a groan, "For even being here."  _With Kid_  went unsaid.

And then Robin tapped into the system as Wally searched for the lock pick. It was in one of his gloves, ah there it was! He felt weaker than he had any right to be. Apparently electrocution took quite a bit out of you. He groaned as he began to pluck at his lock.

"I got you Kid Mouth," said Robin, suddenly beside him.

"Forgot I had the pick," said Wally really quietly up to his brother, who just grinned good-naturedly down at him as he picked the locks.

"Hey, I forgot my pick the first time I got captured by a total nutter. At least Dr. Creepo isn't Two-Face. Anyways, I got this hand, speed-pick the other," said Robin with a shrug.

And then Wally was free! He could run again and they were totally going to break out and take the Superboy with them. He grinned as they ran to the door, but he still felt somewhat sluggish. Definitely needed to refuel. Robin sighed as he muttered that Dr. Creepo was not whelmed at all, and Kid grinned.

Kid ran his hand on the arm of his suit. The yellow compartment holding his Lightspeed bars opened up, revealing the sleek, black interior. While he couldn't have a lot of black on the outside of his suit, the inside was completely black to honor his dad. He swallowed the bar in record time, and immediately felt his energy returning to him.

"So, what's the escape plan?" asked Kid curiously, but didn't get an answer as they ran through the halls of Cadmus's underground facility. Except they totally had company as the creepy genomorphs began to attack them. And there were a lot of big scary genomorphs. And nobody had taught Superboy the elegance of escape first, fight later. Oh but he was a total one-man army. No big deal. Kid just stared, wondering if Batman and Flash felt like this when they watched Uncle Clark fight. It was both awe-inspiring and chilling.

Once inside the elevator shaft, Kid pressed himself against the wall, watching as Superboy jumped up with Aqualad, going almost thirty floors before he suddenly began to fall, and that was totally not part of the super-clone package, was it? Robin was quick enough to extend a hook, and Aqualad caught the two of them before they fell all they way back down. Robin elevated himself and Kid with a grappling hook. Supey looked entirely too depressed as he muttered about not being able to fly once Kid caught up to him.

"But you can still jump tall buildings in one bound, totally cool," offered Kid, grinning up widely at the clone, who really didn't notice. Alright, optimism would be a later lesson.

They jumped out onto the fifteenth floor, which looked totally less creepy cave and more like creepy laboratory. More genomorphs. Great. They ran ahead, and somehow, Superboy knew where to lead them. Impressive. How did he know? Had he been out of his pod before? Don't question the gift-horse-that-can-tell-you-where-to-go Kid! And then they were in front of a vent. Kid grinned widely, despite Superboy's confused and dejected expression.

"Rob- we got a vent!" said Kid, grinning at his older brother. Bat training 101, vents are your best friend for a quick escape.

"Perfect! Nice work Supey," said Robin, before he jumped up and began unscrewing the locks.

* * *

They had thrown off the Genomorph trail. Kid Flash grinned down at his big brother, who was grinning proudly about how he'd hacked the motion sensors! Take that Cadmus! Tim was going to be so thrilled when Wally told him this story, especially since Rob had used the program that Tim had designed for motion sensor-hacking! And now they were by a staircase, and Wally was charged and ready to run.

"And now I have room to move!" cheered Wally, "Let's go!"

And without waiting, he zipped up the steps, experiencing the thrilling rush of running at superspeeds. He felt himself exhaling excitedly as the world became a blur of color. Right foot, left foot, up and up. Quick curve, turn right and run, and up the steps.

Genomorphs were coming for them, but Wally grinned. Never challenge a running speedster. He added a jolt to his pace, before he ran forward with an extra spurt of energy, colliding his fists quickly into each genomorph and knocking them out, because seriously, fist going at 150 kilometers per hour, totally hurts.

Wally had cleared the path of genomorphs from ahead, giving his team (because this totally counted as a team now, right?) a clear path. Once outside of the stairs though, the alarms were going, and Wally scowled as he watched the door shutting in front of him. Oh great. His eyes widened when he realized he decelerate fast enough in the limited space, and bang!

He had crashed. Not cool.

"KF! You alright?" came Rob's worried voice from behind him as the alarms blared.

"Fine Rob," said Kid, trying not to be annoyed. He wasn't a baby!

Neither Superboy nor Aqualad had any effect on the door, and Robin couldn't hack it. Kid Flash followed his big brother through a second door, only to come to a corner filled with Genomorphs. Lots and lots of Genomorphs. Crap.  _Crap Crap Crap_.

A sudden feeling of exhaustion came over him, and Kid felt himself slumping. He saw everyone slumping. His head hurt like never before, and he felt just so lethargic. Until, it was gone. Kid looked up, and Superboy was standing, looking to one of the Genomorphs, and there was totally a story there. But not right now because Guardian was letting them go, and was it really this easy?

Nope. Desmond. Creepy tube called Blockbuster. And now he was a monster. _Crap._


	7. Introducing Superboy to the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Superboy is freshly out of his pod. Robin and Kid Flash take the day to be with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all my readers and everyone who left Kudos on this work! Likewise, sorry for not posting the fight with Blockbuster, it was identical to the T.V show (I couldn't figure out how to alter it just yet)

Blockbuster. Peace of cake. And best of all, Wally had been part of a team. Robin, Superboy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash! They had taken down Desmond and they were free! They had fought an army of Genomorphs! And they'd freed Superboy.

Superboy.

He was staring wide-eyed at the world, at the streets. Wally grinned, and came over to his new friend. Superboy was a good head taller to Wally, but that didn't matter as he threw an arm up and around his new friend's shoulders.

“The moon!” said Wally with a flourish, pointing to the sky, “Are we good with our promises or what?”

And the boy just stared at the sky, taking it all in with wide, beautiful blue eyes. They didn't look angry. Just mesmerized. Wally backed off a little, feeling like he was intruding in a private moment, but he didn't take his eyes off his friend. Because this was worth it. This was why they'd snuck into Cadmus (besides the whole dad's a big-fat-liar-face-thing). It was really a beautiful sight, seeing someone so openly awed.

And his eyes widened again, and Wally stared up at the sky. Superman! Holy shit! The entire friggin Justice League! Flash! Dad! Oh he was  _so_  grounded.

* * *

 

“Why couldn't Superboy come with us?” asked Wally once they'd dropped the clone off at a room in the Hall of Justice. Wally was pouting, his goggles were off now, as he sat behind Robin and Batman in the Batwing on the way home to the manor.

“Because, that would put our secret identities at risk KF,” said Robin with a sympathetic smile. He knew how Wally felt about friends, and how badly he hated being so paranoid about his identity. 

“But- He could have stayed with Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris! He's all alone now,” said Wally, feeling bad for the clone.

“He'll be fine. You can visit tomorrow,” said Batman, but his jaw was clenched, and Wally shut up. Dad was so beyond mad. Especially when he found out the bit about Cadmus trying to clone them. Wally sighed, and slumped in his seat. Three days until he found out whether they were a team or not. Three whole days.

At least he had a new friend.

* * *

 

The next morning, Wally had done the smartest thing possible. He'd gone to Alfred and begged to hang out with Superboy. Robin was off moping in the gym. Robin still didn't understand why Bruce was taking so long to figure this whole team thing out. He'd thought his dad would wake up and tell them it was okay. Sure, Wally was upset too, but hello, new friend! And Robin was totally not seeing the bright side to all of this!

“I suppose I have no issue on the subject,” said Alfred with a small smile, “As long as Master Richard goes with you.”

“Sweet! Thanks Alfred!” said Wally, tossing a quick hug to the man, before racing upstairs to Robin's gym.

“Dii _iii_ iiick!” cried Wally, “ _C'monc'monc'mon_!”

“What?” asked Dick, looking perturbed as he flipped off the balance beam, “Wassamatter? Has dad made up his mind?”

“Not yet,” said Wally flippantly, “But Alfred said we can go visit Superboy!”

“Oh, alright,” said Dick with a sigh, still looking dejected. 

“Come on Dick!” said Wally, tugging on his big brother's hand, “We have to show him the arcade! And ice-cream! And pizza! And T.V! I made a whole list of things we have to show him! Do you think he likes pie?”

“Slow down KF,” said Dick, grinning a bit more, “You're going to totally whelm him, and not in a good way. Anyways, I'm going to get changed into my civvies, we zeta-ing over?”

“Yep!” said Wally, “Or I could run us there!”

“Zeta,” said Dick flatly, “You'll burn all your energy by the time we reach Washington. Don't forget your glasses.”

“Ugh, I hate those things! I look like a total nerd,” whined Wally, but he obediently headed to his room to change into his Kid Flash civvies and put on the stupid sun-glasses that were too big and square and made him look like a dork. All while hearing the familiar Robin cackle behind him.

* * *

 

“So, you're Robin and you're Kid Flash,” asked Superboy uncertainly.

He was staring at two thirds of the people who had rescued him from his Cadmus facility. Who had granted him his freedom. Both were shorter to him, the brunette only by a few inches, and the red-head by a full head. Both wore jeans and hoodies, Robin's in red, and Kid Flash's in yellow, complete with a Flash lightning bolt on the breast.

“Yep! And we have a full day planned for you, starting with pizza and ice-cream!” said Kid Flash, sounding all too cheerful.

“Er,” said Superboy, glancing at the bundle of energy that zipped out of the Hall of Justice.

“He'll be back in a few minutes,” said Robin kindly, “He's probably gone to grab some food. And he knows to be stealthy to not get caught speeding. Now let's get you some civvies.”

“Civvies?” asked Superboy, feeling a little dumb.

“Civvies,” confirmed Robin, though he really didn't explain what the heck 'civvies' were.

They entered Superboy's new room. It was really just an empty three by four room, with a bed, a bathroom and a television set tuned only to watch the news. Not that Superboy minded. He liked learning about the world around him, even if it was confusing. He had felt something- upsetting- as he watched Superman rescue civilians from a fire. But more than feeling lost, he felt lonely. Even after escaping Cadmus, he had nowhere to go. And no one to talk to.

“Geez, only GBS? Batman's such a stiff,” said Robin, breaking Superboy's reverie.

“Er,” said Superboy, unsure how to respond.

“Let's get you some real television,” said Robin, tossing his backpack down and unzipping it.

Superboy watched in fascination as Robin hooked up some wires and began fiddling with the T.V set. The bigger teenager sat down on his bed, feeling out of place in his solar suit, in this small room. Even then, he hadn't actually slept here. It had felt too- wide. He'd ended up sleeping in a janitor's closet off to the edge of the Hall. It had been less imposing.

“I'm back!” came Kid Flash's voice, as he entered toting five boxes of pizza, and a bag filled with three tubs of ice-cream. 

Superboy had heard of pizza before. He knew it was an American-Italian delicacy that originated in the 19th century from an Italian family in America. Derived from innovation of topping flat bread with tomato, it had a widespread popularity and could have a variety of vegetables or meats or cheeses for toppings.

He had never expected pizza to be so greasy. The smell itself was strong, of something oily and slightly sour. The taste was savory, as he bit into his first slice. The grease from the pizza stuck to his fingers, and the cheese slipped off the gooey slice. The tomato sauce was surprisingly flavorful, and it didn't taste solely of tomatoes. There was something herby to it, and Superboy couldn't find the appropriate words to put to this feeling.

“How is it?” asked Kid Flash, beaming at him with excitement.

“It's- nice,” said Superboy finally, as he took a second bite.

“Knew you'd like meat lovers! I also got a Hawaiian and a vegetarian! I think you'll like the vegetarian, but Hawaiian might be a bit much but it's so sweet and delicious!” said Kid Flash, as he sat back on his haunches. Robin had scooped two slices of Hawaiian and then continued fiddling with the T.V.

“Aren't you going to eat?” asked Superboy curiously.

“Huh? Course I am! I got a whole meat lovers to myself!” said Kid Flash, popping open his box of pizza and waving to it, “But Al- I mean, you're the guest, even if we're raiding your room, so I was taught to make sure you've eaten first.”

“That and watching him eat can put anyone off their appetite,” said Robin, throwing a good-natured grin despite the insult.

Teasing. Verb. Make fun of or attempt to provoke (a person or animal) in a playful way. To annoy or pester. Likewise, it could also mean to arouse someone sexually.

Superboy was pretty sure this wasn't the latter description, but since he'd never had any experience with teasing, he stayed silent to confirm. From the way Kid Flash swiped out at Robin and began whining, and the pouting expression on his face until Robin stuffed a slice of pizza in his mouth and told him to relax, Superboy confirmed it was light-hearted.

“Alright, we're all set up to watch movies all day long! Kid, give Supey the clothes Alfred gave us,” ordered Robin, and Kid Flash nodded, zipping to the second backpack they'd brought, and tossing it to him.

Awkwardly, Superboy opened the bag to find a bunch of t-shirts and jeans, and a leather jacket. They were all in his approximate size. As well, there was an unopened pack of boxers, and a travel kit, filled with toothpaste and toothbrush, a small comb, a razor, shampoo and soap. He stared at this backpack. And then back at the friends who were arguing over what movie to watch.

“Is this- I mean- Is this for me?” asked Superboy nervously.

“Sure is,” said Kid Flash with a grin, “It's called an emergency bundle, in case someone ever has to go on the run. But it's totally useful for someone just starting their life out, right? It's got everything you need, even a credit card in the front pack to the name Conner Holden. Totally random, non-existent dude that has an account in a Canadian bank. Knock yourself out!”

“Thank you,” said Superboy, feeling awkward as he looked at the other two.

“Hey, its our pleasure,” said Robin kindly, pressing Superboy's shoulder gently.

That wasn't programmed into him by Cadmus. He had no idea what a shoulder squeeze meant, but judging from the kind look on Robin's face and the smile on Kid Flash's face, there was no threat meant to him. He nodded back, because that was the only gesture he really knew, before getting up to change.

When he came back, dressed in jeans that were an inch longer than necessary, and a black shirt, he found himself sitting beside Robin and watching Star Wars. He'd also find himself eating eight slices of pizza, and a full tub of vanilla ice-cream. The chocolate was a bit too sweet for him. And then he'd discover the apparent stomache ache that came with eating that much food in one sitting.

* * *

 

Wally was beyond thrilled. Today had been a really awesome day! He'd gotten to eat three full pizzas, ate a full tub of Rocky Road ice-cream, something Alfred would be so disappointed about, and watched a full marathon of Star Wars. Wally beamed as he rested his head on Robin's shoulder, feeling at ease. He'd been moving back and forth from pizza to pizza, and now he was totally down to relax.

Except, nothing was ever that simple for a super-hero. His civvies watch started to beep. Lazily Kid Flash pressed the alert button as Robin paused the second Star Wars movie.

“Terror Twins sighted at Central City Mall. Attempted Robbery,” came the voice of one of the CCPD operators, trying to contact the Flash or the League.

“That's my cue,” said Wally with a sigh, pulling out his Flash ring.

“You want us to come with?” asked Robin, the tell-tale signs of worry on his face.

“I'm good,” said Wally with a wave of his hand, “I'll be back before you know it!”

“Stay traught Kid,” said Robin with a nod, as Wally waved and left the room.

* * *

 

Superboy watched the exchange, mildly curious. Wally was Kid Flash. Flash protected Central City. Ergo, Kid Flash protected Central City. He knew of their various achievements. Their major villains identified themselves as the Rogues Gallery, and consisted of Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang and Heatwave. He didn't know much about the Rogues of Central City, since they hardly, if ever, fought Superman. However, he did know the Flashes were capable to defeat their villains.

“Why did you ask Kid Flash if he needed help? Isn't he capable?” asked Superboy curiously.

Robin stared at him, and Superboy fought the urge to flush. He felt uneasy though, like he had done something wrong. Despite that, Robin gave him a gentle smile, and Superboy relaxed into it.

“He's more than capable,” said Robin with a grin, “But he's still just a kid, y'know? Kid, he has a way of charming people so even his villains aren't too mean to him, but they hate the Flash so it's not like Kid gets off _that_  easy.”

“I don't understand,” said Superboy automatically, still confused. Did age have to do with capability? Was that why Superman didn't want him? Was he not capable enough? But if that was the case, Robin and Flash wanted incapability? So was he  _too_  capable for his age?

'He's like my kid brother,” explained Robin, “And as his best friend, I want to watch over him. He has that effect on most people.”

“But, he can handle himself in a fight?” asked Superboy hesitantly.

“Don't worry Supey,” said Robin with an easy grin, “You're only a day out of your pod, if that. You'll get it one day.”

And as Superboy looked at Robin, he really hoped that one day he understood.

* * *

 

“I can't believe I missed the entire movie!” cried Wally, standing in his uniform in Superboy's room. All the pizza had vanished after Robin and Superboy decided to clean it off for dinner. “And you two ate all the food! Speedster here, need munchies!”

“You need to lax Kid,” said Robin with a grin, as he stood up and stretched his sore muscles, “I've left Superboy with lots of new T.V channels, so that means you and I are going home.”

Kid pouted, crossing his arms in front of him and looking much smaller for his age. Something Superboy realized he still didn't know. But the term Kid meant he must be around twelve. As the boy crossed his arms, his sleeve rode up revealing a sickly yellow bruise. Superboy stared at it. Bruise. An injury appearing as an area of discolored skin on the body, caused by blow or impact rupturing underlying blood vessels. Superman cannot be bruised unless hit with Kryptonite, or attacked by Red Sun energy. Humans can be bruised. Apparently, the Flashes can be bruised as well.

"When did you get that?" asked Robin, glancing in horror at the wound as he grabbed Kid Flash's arm.

Worry. To give way to anxiety or unease, and allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. But this was not a difficult situation. Was it troubling?

"Fighting with the Terror twins," said Kid with an eye roll, "I did get sort of banged up a little. Tommy's not nice at all! He was all like- kids should stay at home! Ha! I threw itching powder at him."

"Looks like it's healing fine," said Robin with a serious expression.

"Of course it is, Flash and Superman got there and arrested the two," said Kid Flash with a shrug, "I was mostly there to distract them, and y'know, make sure they kept the property damages to a minimum."

"Superman?" asked Superboy, unsurely. He went to the aid of Kid Flash. Therefore, Superman enjoyed Kid Flash's presence. But not his. Did that mean he wasn't like Kid Flash? Why did Superman prefer Kid Flash to him.

"Yeah, he left right after," said Kid easily, "He heard the alert, y'know? From the League."

"Oh," said Superboy, clenching his fists.

"Anyways," said Robin easily, "We've got to get going, see you around Supey!" 

“Fine, but I'm hungry! You're buying me food on the way!” said Kid decisively. “Sorry I wasn't here long Supey, we should hang out more often! What do you want to do tomorrow?”

Superboy stared at the earnest expression in Kid Flash's face, and he fidgeted. He didn't really know what he wanted to do. Today had already been so long and tiring, and now he had a television filled with channels to explore. Robin had shown him the Discovery Channel, and he really wanted to watch more television, and learn. But most of all, he wanted to see.

“No worries,” said Kid Flash, not minding his silence, “I'll come up with something totally awesome for us to do! See you tomorrow Supey!”

As Kid Flash and Robin left, Superboy sat in the silence, a strange feeling in his chest. Never before had he looked forward to a tomorrow.  


	8. Dinner with Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way home from the Hall of Justice, Dick and Wally head over to their oldest brother's house for dinner.

Wally grinned as he hoisted his older brother on his back. The two were racing around Bludhaven to their oldest brother's house for dinner. On the way back from the Hall of Justice, Robin had gotten a text from Colin asking if they wanted to come over, and that Damian was bringing take-out food from that little Thai place that they liked. 

In record time, the two of them were standing at the front door, grinning identically from ear to ear as the door swung open to reveal Colin Wilkes, Damian's high school sweetheart and boyfriend. Colin wasn't as tall as Damian's lanky six feet, but he was a strong, muscular five foot ten, with red hair and freckles. His brown eyes were as sweet as caramel, and he never stopped smiling.

"Come on in!" said Colin cheerfully.

Damian and Colin's apartment was like a reflection of the two of them as couples. It was neat and orderly, everything in it's place. The floors were a plush, luxurious carpet that felt good on sore feet. The walls were covered in photos. Photos of Colin and Damian as kids, horsing around as much as one could with the stiff Damian Wayne. Photos of Colin and Damian as teens as Gotham Academy. There were pictures of the two at prom, in tuxes and going as each other's dates. The first time the two came out and told the world they were dating.

That had been a huge controversy. Damian Wayne was dating a boy. They had gone to prom together. At Gotham Academy. Firstly, a gay Wayne. The biological son of Bruce Wayne was gay. Secondly, they were at prom together. This was back when gay people were just starting to be accepted, especially in Gotham, a city whose finer points was to hate everything and everyone. And then, they were the first openly gay couple at Gotham Academy. The first gay couple to go to prom together at Gotham Academy. Wally didn't remember much from that time, being only five, but he knew the stories. The press still referenced Colin and Damian for any stories about overcoming prejudice and being brave. Colin beamed at setting a good example. Damian scoffed.

The pictures from prom continued. Pictures of the two going on 'vacations' together, as pretences for undercover missions. There were pictures of Damian and Colin at family gatherings. A picture of Colin and Damian taking Dick and Wally out to the circus when Dick was eleven and Wally was nine, just before the Flash experiment. A picture of Damian and Colin with Tim and Steph at some gala Bruce was throwing.

The pictures bounced off the walls and onto frames on the side tables. Expensive frames. The couches were made of leather. The small kitchenette beside the living room was hardly used, but still had pots and pans, and was impeccably clean, save for a coffee mug in the sink. There was a small table in the kitchen, used for both dinner dates and mission planning.

The bedroom was off to the side of the open room, and the door was always shut. Inside, Wally knew was a closet, with a back latch leading to Damian and Colin's Nightwing and Abuse gear. Antidotes to various venoms and poisons were stocked in there, as well as their communicators to contact the Bat-Cave and Watchtower, though Wally was pretty sure Damian had them locked up in a tight box on the mere principle that he refused help. He was sort of worse than dad in that sense.

"Damian's grabbing the Thai Food as he swings home from work," said Colin, leading both boys to the living room. Dick flipped over the back of the couch and landed in a seated position, before flumping down, feigning exhaustion. Wally playfully scowled, and called him a 'Drama Queen!' before speeding to the arm-chair and curling up inside of it like a cat.

"So, what's this I hear about you two starting a team of your own?" asked Colin, bringing the two a can of orange soda, and flumping down on the love seat against the wall.

"Dad told Damian about that?" asked Wally in surprise.

"More likely Damian hacked Dad's case files and found Superboy," said Dick with a snort.

"Incorrect. I have tracers in both of your uniforms, and once I discovered you two buffoons at Cadmus, I hacked into the street cameras in Washington and saw what occurred. Then using my natural detective skills I put two and two together," said a voice from behind Wally's arm-chair.

He jumped to see Damian, clad as Nightwing, standing there with two bags take-out Thai Food, and looking stoic and serious, as always. The black suit, with the dark red bird insignia was a familiar sight, but it had been so long since Wally had seen Damian dressed as Nightwing, that it made him pause for several subjective minutes. Then he tackled his brother with a speed hug. To Damian's credit, he barely even flinched. 

"Damian!" cheered Dick, flipping over the coffee table, and grabbing their big brother from the other side.

"I got the food!" said Wally, tearing the food from Damian's hands as he sped around the apartment, gathering plates and forks and knives, all while shooting questions from the top of his head. "Why'd youcall _us_  over D? Do you have a mission?  _Canwehelp_?"

Only years of associating with Wally and his speed-talk allowed the others to clue in. Regardless, Dick had already moved back to his couch, claiming the entire thing with a second dramatic flump. Damian ignored them all and headed to the bedroom to change. Just because the windows were one-way mirrors didn't mean that there wasn't a chance that someone might see something. Wally was already eating the pad thai and basil chicken by the time Damian came back to the living room, this time dressed in track pants and a white tank-top.

"To answer your questions, it was merely a case following a lead about my mother," said Damian, and both younger boys winced. Talia al Ghul was a sore subject for both their oldest brother, and their father. "I wrapped it up today. Apparently she wanted to chat and set up a nice wild goose chase for me to follow."

"Did you find out what she wanted?" asked Colin, a worried expression on his face.

"To inform me of how disappointed she was in me, and then to gripe about Grandfather, an ex-boyfriend of hers, all before doing her usual dramatics about being my mother and wanting my attention," said Damian with a sigh, "And then she gave me a valuable tip-off that Shiva might be on Cass's trail again in exchange for information about father's whereabouts and going ons. After their last duel I want to keep a closer eye on that situation."

"Glad to see your mother hasn't changed," said Colin lightly, "Still a darling."

"She never will, Beloved," said Damian with a sigh, before fondly smiling at Colin, who returned it by giving his boyfriend a quick peck.

"PDA much?" asked Robin, as Wally blushed red and looked away.

The last time he'd come to Bludhaven was on his way back from Central. He hadn't thought to knock and he'd ended up catching Damian and Colin in their boxers and most definitely not wrestling on the couch. Needless to say, any and all signs of affection between the two launched that memory first. In his defense, he was a speedster going through puberty who had been traumatized. It was their faults for not locking the door.

"Be quiet Richard," said Damian, as he took his plate and began to serve himself. Colin served Dick, who was insisting he was fine, and thus ended up piling a plate for Colin, all while Wally took his second serving.

"Anyways, enough about my mother's dramatics, let's talk about your dramatics," said Damian sharply, and despite the fact that he was sitting very relaxed on the couch beside Colin, both boys winced in fear.

"Er- Surprise?" offered Wally, swallowing before replying. Thank Alfred and his lesson on manners for that, otherwise the natural speedster impulsiveness would have lead him to forget to swallow and he'd be choking. 

"Well?" asked Damian sharply.

"We were going to tell you about it," said Robin earnestly, "It just never came up!"

"Because?" asked Damian.

"It's only been a day," deadpanned Wally.

And then the lecture began. Damian sat his plate down and began reciting all the things that could go wrong. And considering the fact that Robin and Kid Flash had been asked to write a mission report, stating every detail of what had occured, Damian had a lot of ammo. Almost being cloned. Attacked by Superboy and not being quick enough to grab their kryptonite. Blockbuster. Oh yeah, he had lots of ammo. And neither boy was in the mood to argue with their older brother. Especially not if he had spent the day with his mother. By the time Damian had winded down, Colin took over the situation.

"So, what are your team mates like? Are they any good?" asked Colin peacefully.

"Aqualad is super smart!" said Wally earnestly, "And he's really good at reading people. Like, he just knew what made Superboy tick! And Superboy's kind of angry a lot at first, but he's actually really nice, and he likes Star Wars!"

"Only because that's the only movie he's seen," refuted Dick, "And Aqualad is pretty talented as an orator. He's pretty good at dealing with people and assessing them. Superboy's like a confused, angry puppy on steroids. They're both pretty good though, and with the right training Superboy should catch up to the rest of us easily."

"Be careful around this Superboy," said Damian automatically, "We have no idea how he was programmed at Cadmus. He could easily be a threat."

"He's not threatening though! He's really nice! Do you think he'd like pies and Kansas? Because I was thinking we should totally take him to Kansas for pie someday!" said Wally.

"Let's lay off Kansas for a while, at least until Big Blue's okay with him," said Dick easily, "But Bruce is keeping an eye on him. And I hacked the Hall of Justice security feeds to check in on him. I think he's still adjusting to the world right now."

"He seemed alright when we saw him," said Wally, ignoring Dick, "But I mean, asides from the enjoys-watching-the-news spiel. We totally had to hook him up with better T.V!"

"So, is Aqualad the leader of this team since he's the people guy, or is it Dick?" asked Colin, interrupting before Damian could blow up about trusting people too easily. Dick stiffened slightly, and crossed his arms.

"Not decided yet," said Wally quickly. He knew Dick was considering that too. Dick had never worked with anyone besides Batman, and desperately wanted to lead the team like Tim led the Titans. But at the same time, Aqualad was a really good leader.

"Do you think he'll let us do the team?" asked Dick, looking curiously to Damian. Of all the Wayne children, Damian understood Bruce most since they were so alike. Of course, it also lead to the two of them arguing the most, and leading to rash decisions like moving all the way to Bludhaven when he turned eighteen and then not speaking to Bruce for seven months.

"Possibly," said Damian with a shrug, "He'd rather have you and Wally under his thumb and on watch while doing independent missions then running off on your own again. After Tim ran all the way to San Francisco with his team of losers, I doubt he'd want you two to try the same thing."

"So, what are the odds?" asked Wally, perching up and looking at Damian with big eyes.

"He's probably planning the training schedules and meeting times as we speak," said Damian with a smirk.

The younger boys whooped, and another can of sodas went out. A third helping of Thai food was shoved into their plates, and that night, Wally fell asleep beside Dick on the pull-out couch bed in Damian and Colin's living room, dreaming of kicking-butt with his new team. 

 


	9. Tours and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Kid Flash take Superboy on a tour of their respective cities. Batman decides the fate of the team.

 

The next two days of waiting for the Batman's decision went by too quickly. Dick was practically giddy with delight that Damian had confirmed their father most likely would initiate the team. With that motion decided, they chose to take Superboy around town. Most specifically, Gotham.

At first, the clone had been uneasy with the idea. He wanted to go to Metropolis first. Both Robin and Kid Flash shut him down. Superboy ended up agreeing with them mostly out of respect for his two friends.

And here Superboy stood. After requesting clearance from Wonder Woman to take Superboy out, (because Batman was locked in his cave, and both boys knew better then to broach the sensitive topic of Superboy with Superman, besides, Diana could never say no to their puppy-dog eyes), the boys were standing in an alley-way in Gotham, near Wayne Enterprises headquarters. Both were like giddy puppies as they grinned to each other, and then the Super himself.

“Well, what do you think?” asked Kid, beaming at Superboy.

The kryptonian merely stared in awe. Gotham, even with all it's ugliness, was impressive. The clone stared at the sight of so many people. Hundred of people merely walked the streets, bustling in and out buildings. The revolving doors turned constantly. His ears were filled with noise, which barely existed in the sound-proof room of his at the Hall of Justice. He could hear the thudding of millions of heart-beats. He could hear the roaring of engines, the honking of horns, the music from a nearby department store that was cheery and so out of place as people in Gotham cursed. It was just so _loud!_  

And the buildings. They were so tall, reaching for the skies. The sky of Gotham was a constant grey, murky and mysterious, but not depressing. Never depressing. Just. Not happy. The building windows gleamed, shining unlike the streets, which were covered in grime. The inside alley-way from which they emerged had been filthier then the Cadmus facility after it's destruction, but the outside world it lead to. _Amazing._

“C'mon, we got tickets for the tour bus,” said Kid cheerfully, grabbing the awe-struck boy and leading him to a bus stop. The advertisement on the bus stop was for tampons, and a beautiful, dark-skinned woman stood, with the phrase, “You can do it all!” plastered as the slogan. Someone had robbed the bus stop of it's bench, so there was no where to sit. The advertisement's model had a tooth blacked out. It was strange and different from the implanted images of Metropolis, which were clean and colorful and pristine. 

“She's hot,” said Kid, catching Superboy staring at the model, “Her name's Jezebel Jet, newly started on the modelling scene.”

“Why is her tooth black?” asked Superboy, confused. “Are they decaying?”

“Some graffiti artist probably coloured it black,” said Robin easily, “It's no big deal.”

“The bus is here!” called Kid excitedly, bouncing and grinning as he pointed down the street.

A large, black double-decker bus came slowly down the street. The top was open, and revealed several people sitting on the top row. Superboy turned to stare at it. White lettering across the side of the bus the words 'Gotham Tours!' looped across it. An advertisement featuring the face of Bruce Wayne and a new Wayne-tech cellphone was on the bottom of the bus, near the wheels.

“And this brings us to Wayne Tower! Constructed in 1888, it was the first ever skyscraper to be built in Gotham city, and the second skyscraper to be built in the world! It was envisioned by Solomon Wayne upon seeing sketches by famed architect Cyrus Pinkney, and after Pinkney's early death from typhoid, Solomon's son Alan Wayne, hired the Gate brothers, Nicholas and Bradley, to build the Wayne Tower as a gift for his father before his father passed away. To this day, it's an integral part of Gotham culture!” crooned the woman at the top of the bus, holding a bike, “Take your photos everyone!”

“What's this?” asked Superboy, staring as the bus doors opened, and Kid and Robin steered him onto it.

“And for those of you getting off, the next bus will be here in fifteen minutes! From here we're going to the Clocktower, and then G.P.C.D headquarters, so stick around if you're interested! I'm your tour guide, Lorna Shore, and I'm glad to have you!” said the tour-lady, dressed in a black-polo and visor.

Superboy went up the winding steps, between Robin and Kid Flash, and came up to the red-plastic seats atop the bus. He followed Kid Flash into a seat, as Robin sat behind the two of them.

“We're touring Gotham!” said Kid Flash with a grin, “Seeing all the sights in a day!”

“Picture time!” said Robin easily, reaching his hand in front of the two, with a small pocket camera. Kid Flash threw a skinny arm around Superboy's neck, and grinned, making a strange y-symbol with his hand as Robin grinned. A flash blinded Superboy, but the bus started before he could get angry.

“Relax, and enjoy the ride!” said Kid Flash easily, as the bus began moving below them, taking them down the street of Gotham City.

* * *

 

Around three, the group got off at Robinson Park. Kid Flash claimed he needed to stretch his legs and grab a bite. Superboy was a little disappointed, but his heart was beating so quickly that he thought a break would be okay. It was strange walking between the two boys, as he contemplated everything he saw today. All the history they'd learnt about Gotham was mind-boggling. None of it had been implanted into his mind. There was so much he didn't know.

“Alright, let's grab some street hot dogs!” said Kid, clapping his hands together, “Supey's tried pizza, hot dogs are next on the list!”

“Sounds like a plan, c'mon Supey,” said Robin, leading him towards a small cart.

A large, rotund man stood behind the cart, putting long, cylindrical pieces of meat into longer, cylindrical buns. He handed three to a man and his son, after squeezing various sauces and putting scoops of green stuff on it.

“We'll take fifteen hot dogs,” said Robin, as he approached the cart.

“That'll be thirty bucks, boy,” said the man, glancing at them, as he began to turn his meat-sticks.

“Here,” said Robin, digging out a wallet and handing thirty dollars easily, “And we want ketchup, mustard and relish on one of those, everything on thirteen of those, and relish, kraut, cheese and ketchup on the last.”

The man raised an eyebrow, but without another word, began loading the buns with the meat. The one with ketchup, mustard and relish was passed to Superboy, while Kid Flash held the rest in his arms. Robin took the specially topped one, and the three headed to a bench.

“Y'know, on my to the Hall, I stopped Mr. Freeze with Batman here,” said Robin, once they were seated and eating.

Superboy bit into his hot dog tentatively. The meat was juicy, and the relish and mustard surprisingly sour. The ketchup was sweet and had a faint taste of tomatoes, like pizza. However, the sweetness balanced the sours of the other two. And the meat, it's juicy taste was warm to his tongue. All of it was balanced with the bun, which though lacking in taste, was soft and cooling.

“Like it?” asked Kid Flash, beaming up at Superboy. He had ketchup on his lips, and mustard on his cheek. 

“It's good,” said Superboy hesitantly, “What's it made of?”

“Beef,” replied Robin, “Usually, but this is Gotham, so you probably don't want to think too much about it.”

Superboy wasn't sure what to make of those words, but Kid Flash was on his sixth hot dog, and he wasn't dead yet. So, Superboy did what any hero would do, he bit into the hot dog and continued to eat, a small smile coming to his face as Robin cackled at his expression.

* * *

 

The next day was a tour of Central city. Despite closing the day late at night, after Robin switched into his uniform and grappled them on top of Wayne Tower to see the city all lit up, Kid Flash had beamed brightly as he woke Superboy up at eight in the morning. Robin apologized for him as they reached Central. The zeta-beam had dropped them off beside Central city mall.

Central was so different from Gotham. The streets were much wider. Trees actually grew here on the streets, and looked healthy and _green_. The buildings weren't as tall, but the streets were cleaner. Less people milled the streets, but the people were in no hurry. They dressed nicer. And the sky was the brightest blue Superboy had ever seen.

“Welcome to Central! Home of the Flash and his partner, Kid Flash!” said Kid with a flourish of his hand, “Let's go to the mall!”

They walked into the mall, and Kid grinned as he showed Superboy the shops. White mannequins posed wearing brightly colored clothing. Superboy followed Kid Flash, who excitedly pointed out the food-court. Orange tape was pressed around crushed tables, and one shop was closed down. The tape continued around a broken shop window, and then blocked off part of the floor.

“That's where Kid Flash fought the Terror Twins!” said Kid excitedly, beaming as he began retelling the battle to a half-interested Robin.

Superboy listened politely, but he was distracted as he looked around the mall. People hardly seemed upset about the demolition. And they were all so happy. Not at all like the perpetually cursing and frowning Gotham city. The sounds in here were of cheerful music, blending together into poppy background noise. Laughter was more common in the air. 

“And that's when I speed-punched him to let go of me! He kept calling me little Red and little Flasher like he was some big- big- ugh!” said Kid, scowling as he crossed his arms and pouted. Robin reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Why do you do that?” asked Superboy, curious.

“It's fun,” said Robin with a wide grin, “Try it.”

“Rob!” said Kid, sounding annoyed, “He does that to bother me, pretending he's being comforting! It takes a lot of effort to get the natural, windswept look.”

“You mean running around your track for an hour?” asked Robin innocently, “And it is fun. His hair is like baby soft.”

“I'm not a baby!” said Kid, crossing his arms further as Robin reached out and pinched his cheeks.

“My precious little kid,” said Robin, hugging his brother, and Kid smacked him away.

“Stop that! You're embarrassing me!” said Kid, ducking behind Superboy.

Superboy heard some giggles, and turned to see a group of girls looking at them. With his advanced hearing, he could pick out some phrases, like 'he's so cute!' and 'the big one's so hot!'

“What does it mean to be 'hot'?” asked Superboy, turning away from the girls.

Kid Flash glanced over at Superboy, and easily replied, “It means someone's attractive. Like a total babe. Why, did someone notice me?”

Superboy turned and pointed to the girls, and said, “They think that I'm hot.”

Kid grinned and elbowed him, as Robin chuckled and lead them away from there. Superboy was confused as Robin easily said, “That's not a bad thing. But let's do some shopping. Did you bring your credit card?”

“Er, yeah,” said Superboy with a nod.

“Then let's get you all the necessities you'll need, like comic books and video games!” said Kid Flash, grabbing Superboy's arm and tugging him away.

* * *

 

When Superboy got home that night, Kid Flash and Robin had bought him more clothes, some sun-glasses and actual glasses for his civvies disguise (so that he fit into their trio, though for the actual glasses they'd laughed a lot so he wasn't too sure about them) and a bunch of books. The book store had been amazing. Superboy had plucked out some fictional classics as well as some books about the world. Most importantly, he'd plucked out the books detailing Superman's life and appearances.

They'd gone to a cafe just before they'd closed up for the night. Kid Flash ordered him apple pie. It had been nice, and sweet. While he didn't care much for the cream that came with it, Kid had delighted in feeding him new things. Robin had grinned along with Kid Flash, and Superboy, well, he couldn't help the smile on his face as he saw his new friends and their infectious laughter and smiles.

* * *

 

Said new friends were currently sitting at their dinner table, across from Bruce Wayne. He was glaring at the both of them, with his blue eyes icy. Wally was tapping his feet below the table, and his hands were constantly in motion. This was the first time since the Cadmus incident that they'd seen their father.

“After your stunt at Cadmus, I should ground you two from your hero duties until you have earned the right to go back on the streets,” said the man sternly. “There are numerous things that could have gone wrong. You're lucky you made it out alive. Just several months back Roy Harper was kidnapped by Lex Luthor and was lucky to be found alive. Worse still, if Superboy had not chosen to go with you, there's a good chance you would have died and been cloned. Can you imagine the disaster it would be if they learnt your identities? Our identities? Do you two even understand the danger you put your siblings in?”

Wally frowned, and looked at his hands. His father's disappointment was rolling off of him in waves. This wasn't how he'd expected the announcement about the team to go.

“But we survived,” said Dick sternly, “And we did good work Batman. You can't deny we were cohesive as a team.”

“I'm not,” said Bruce, glaring at his son for interrupting him, “And it's precisely because you were a strong team that I'm going to let this happen. But this incident does not go without consequences. For directly disobeying orders, Robin is grounded from patrol for a week, and Kid Flash is grounded from Central for a week as well. Neither of you will have any access to the Bat-Cave or computer, and you will both be spending the week with Alfred, doing chores and relearning discipline.”

“But- we get to be a part of the team?” asked Wally, hopeful green eyes meeting his father's,

“Yes, you get to be a part of the team,” said Bruce with a nod, “But that means you have to be extra vigilant about your identity, especially you Dick. Do not let anyone connect you with your civilian identities, especially since we don't know how Superboy is programmed yet.”

“Got it. So, are we operating at the Hall of Justice?” asked Dick curiously.

“You'll see,” said Bruce with a nod, “We can eat.”

With the tense atmosphere dropped, Wally grinned and high-fived Dick. Dick flipped over the table, despite Alfred's appalled look, while Wally ran around, and both tackled their father in a hug, chanting their thank-yous loudly to the man. He looked startled at first, before accepting the hugs with a sigh. 

 


	10. Finalizing the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few tidbits from the show as an in-between what happens next. Cameos with Speedy, M'gann and Jason!

Three days had passed with superfluous ease. And now, Wally West-Wayne was standing in the doorway to Mount Justice. He was Kid Flash. He was protege to the Flash himself. And now he had a team of heroes his age to celebrate these facts with. Batman was giving a super important speech, but Robin and Wally had already received the super-important-and-ten-times-longer speech about safety, repercussions for your actions and pride back home with Batman. So Wally wasn't paying any attention at all.

Instead, he was glancing to Superboy, who'd looked a whole lot of down since the meeting started. Probably because Superman hadn't spoken a word and then he'd just left. Wally's heart went out to the other boy. He totally knew what it was like to deal with a father who didn't want you. Even if Rudolph West was just a faded memory from years long past. Wally still remembered some of it. He had like, a memory or two of the drunk. But mostly, he remembered the feelings of not being wanted. He sometimes wondered if his dad knew where he was. If he knew who Wally was now. Probably not, since Rudolph had never bothered to call. Besides, Batman had sealed all the files to his children so tight that unless Rudolph was an expert hacker, or a mega-millionaire, he'd never find him. To the world, Wally West-Wayne was simply Wally Wayne.

"Hey Supey," said Wally, slinging an arm around Superboy's shoulder, "This is socool! We're using the old Justice League base for our base! And you get to live here! We totally have to deck your room out. Remind me to get Robin to fix that up for you!"

"Yeah," said Superboy tersely, and Wally inwardly sighed.

He couldn't understand Uncle Clark's deal. Robin said he needed time, and that it was a lot to handle. And also, Uncle Clark really sucked at confronting his issues, hence Lois Lane and him were still doing their weird she's-so-onto-him-but-pretends-she-isn't thing and he was pining after him like Romeo did with apparently every girl he met. That's all Wally had really gotten out of English class last year. Besides, Tim said that's what mattered for his essay and so Wally didn't bother learning the rest.

Lois Lane issues aside, Uncle Clark's outright rejection of Supey was killing the guy. It was hard to imagine that this sullen giant of teenage angst beside him had just spent the last two days touring both Central and Gotham, marveling at the Central City Mall, overlooking Gotham from the top of Wayne Enterprises when it was all dark at night and Gotham actually looked pretty, and tasting street hot dogs for the first time in his life with a wide-eyed look and an awkward lip twitch that was slowly developing into a smile. Smile killed. Thanks Uncle Clark.

"Team, I'd like you to meet my niece," said the voice of one Martian Manhunter, and Wally zipped over.

Alien babe. Green alien babe with red hair. And freckles. She was so totally pretty. Wally grinned widely, zipping in front of everyone, hand outstretched and introducing himself, "I'm Kid Flash! And who are you sweet cheeks?"

"Miss Martian," she replied with an easy smile, "But my martian name is M'gann M'orzz, which on Earth is Megan Morse."

"Miss M, M'gann, Megs, got it!" chirruped Wally easily as he bounced slightly on the balls of his feet because, well, speedsters have never-ending energy and there was a hot alien babe in front of him and who else could say that?! "Let me introduce you to our humble little team. That's Robin, Aqualad and Superboy! Come over here Supey! Join the friendship ring and meet the hot alien babe!"

"You're so not allowed to watch Disney movies before bed every again," said Robin with an eye-roll, and a fond smirk as he poked Wally in the ribs. Wally grinned widely. Last night had been all about introducing Supey to Disney movies before curfew aka dinner with Alfred.

"I like your shirt," she told Superboy, and he gave that shaky smile, and Wally grinned widely. This was totally going to be soso awesome!

* * *

 

So, the team was the coolest thing since like, Alfred's cookies and the Flash, but it was totally missing one thing. And that's why Wally was in Star City, Robin and Kaldur flanking him as they approached Speedy. Er. Was he still Speedy if he didn't work for Green Arrow? Damian changed his name. So did Tim. And Jason. Was Roy going to change his name? What would he change it to? Speedy to Flamebird? Wait. No he needed to talk to Superman. Besides, Abuse was pretty much the pseudonym for Flamebird. Red Speedy? He did wear lots of Red. Merlyn the second- or did Merlyn have a nickname prior to Merlyn? That last one could help in the whole I'm-not-working-with-GA-no-more gig that he had going on.

Wait. Kaldur and Robin were talking. He wasn't listening. Nonono! C'mon Roy!

"Please Roy! Join the team! It'll be so much fun and we're going to kickass!" said Wally finally, desperate as he tried to get one of his oldest friends to join their team while racing in circles around the archer who had just taken down Brick, "Superboy and M'gann are way cool! You'd like them."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested in being junior Justice League," said Roy sternly, as he gripped Wally's shoulder to keep him from vibrating. And with that, he just left, grappling off into the night.

* * *

 

"Junior Justice League?! He called us the junior Justice League- like we're just some kids playing pretend!" whined Wally, as he sat on Jason's couch.

His older (and coolest) brother was currently cleaning his guns after a night of patrol. He was completely ignoring Wally, in favor of humming some odd rock tune that just sounded so wrong when hummed. Dick was out patrolling with Batman that night, and Wally had been given the night off by the Flash. Which meant the only person in Gotham that he could bother (whine to) was Jason.

"Have you ever thought that Speedy made the right choice for himself?" asked Jason, as he moved to the fridge to grab some beer. Another thing he did to bother dad. He and Speedy would be great together. Maybe Jason should join the team too.

"But- B- But- He's my friend! He's Dick's friend! He knows us!" said Wally adamantly, "Why can't he just get his head out of his big stupid butt and join the team?"

"Because he doesn't want to? Because that totally defeats the purpose of a solo act?" offered Jason, before sliding onto the couch and pushing Wally away.

"He's my best friend besides Dick! If he joined the team it would be so- so- Whelming!" said Wally, pouting.

"You need more friends besides Dick," said Jason, in something akin to agreement, "But you should leave Speedy alone. He's growing without the Team, and that's good for him."

"But-

"Leave Speedy alone. Solo acts are good, and one day, you'll get it Kid. Now skidaddle so I can get drunk off my ass and sleep for a week or until I can kill Killer Croc. Remind me why we don't kill again?" said Jason with a sigh.

"We don't kill because we're heroes and heroes don't do that," said Wally with a scowl.

He hated it when Jason spoke so flippantly about murder, but knew Jason was too good to go back down that road again. Jason had a brief crazy-stint where he'd murdered a few mob bosses while trying to get Batman to see the 'light'. It took the combined efforts of Tim, Damian, Dick, Wally and Cass to get Jason to talk about the warehouse and get Batman to realize how scarred Jason was from the battle. It didn't help that Ra's al Ghul had stolen his body from the hospital and tossed him in a Lazarus pit in an effort to make things right with Batman. But Jason survived all that, and he'd become a hero despite all the odds. That was why nobody could be cooler than Jason in Wally's eyes, even if he had this weird thing with Bruce about doing everything Bruce hated. Like guns, living in Crime Alley, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol and smoking (when Wally or Dick weren't around).

"Sore muscles?" asked Wally

"Why, you offering?" asked Jason with a raised eyebrow.

"Wally the masseuse to the rescue!" said Wally, vibrating his hands already as he began to massage Jason's sore muscles while he drank beer. The rest of the night was spent defending Batman's honor, arguing about Speedy's decision to not join the team, and getting nougied despite the fact that he could speed dodge. And Wally went back home feeling decisively less upset then before.


	11. Friction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid Flash notices the friction between the team and goes out to make amends. Only to find himself in an awkward situation.

So, apparently Mister Twister wasn't actually Red Tornado. And Supey had issues with M'gann. The mission had ended a success, and despite the fact that everything had gone well, and their team was proving to actually start functioning like, well, a team, Superboy, Robin and Kaldur were upset. And Wally didn't like that his friends were so upset. He got it, he did, even if he pretended to be oblivious to the fact.

For Superboy, he grew up with mind-invaders, ergo, he had a lot of issues with telepaths right now. Miss Martian was new and made a mistake, but Superboy was going through flash-backs. For Dick and Kaldur, they were both the same age, both with differing experiences. But at the end of the day, Batman was Dick's mentor, and leader of the Justice League. Red Robin lead the Teen Titans. Dick had a lot of pressures on him to lead the team. Even if Kaldur had experience working with teams in Atlantis, being a soldier, he would surrender leadership to Robin because this was Robin's team. Besides, it was Robin's decision to invade Cadmus.

Wally's first instinct was to seek out his older brother when they reached the cave. Robin was uneasy about this mission. The team had been unsure to look to Kaldur or Robin for leadership, and while Robin had succeeded in leading the mission, a lot of mistakes were made. Mister Twister wasn't an easy take-down, androids hardly were. But Robin's team had made mistakes, and Robin was blaming himself. Kaldur was the one who'd pulled them together in the end. Robin had stumbled, and he was probably comparing himself to Dad and Tim. He needed Wally and video games before he tried to kill himself in the gym.

Wally found him in the main room by the kitchen. Dick and Kaldur were off to the side, having a low conversation. M'gann was feeling the tension in the air from the mission and the friction within the team. Being a telepath must suck. She had retreated to the far end of the kitchen, and normally, that's where Wally would go to next.

Eat. Refuel. Talk to M'gann. She was really sweet and bubbly and Wally liked making her laugh because she seemed to have trouble laughing in that same way Supey did. Like they didn't laugh a lot, so it was nice when M'gann did that startled laugh thing instead of that giggle that sounded forced, even if she didn't always understand Wally and had a habit of petting his head. But he didn't mind. Hot alien  _babe_.

But Supey was all alone and mopey and probably feeling upset for blaming M'gann for something she had no control over and hadn't known was wrong. Most likely the clone was dwelling on Cadmus nightmares. He was probably doing his best impression of a pouting Superman on Christmas morning when Bruce told him to go back to bed because six A.M was too early to open presents and only Wally and Dick were on his side that it was always a good time for presents. So if Dick was too busy to need him right now, then he'd go help Supey. So that the clone didn't feel so alone anymore, and so his emotions didn't grate on M'gann.

"Hey Supey!" called Wally, as he zipped around the cave. "Supey!"

No answer. For a guy with super-hearing, he sure was deaf. Wally refused to acknowledge the possibility he was being ignored. He did consider the possibility that maybe Supey wanted to be alone, but then, Supey just needed a dose of the Kid-Flash-feels and they'd be good to go. Just keep looking Wally, you'll find him eventually.

* * *

He finally found the clone in the garage near the base of the mountain. Superboy was working on what looked like a really worn down motorcycle. The maker was an old, 1996 Yamaha. Jason had one, before he crashed it into a wall of the manor. Bruce had made Jason get a real job to pay for the damages. Jason didn't show up at the job Bruce got him and instead went and worked as a mechanic in Crime Alley to both piss Bruce off but make the money back for Alfred's sake.

Nonetheless, Wally watched in fascination as the clone worked. His hands were surprisingly gentler then ever, though he did growl every time he used too much pressure and dented the metal. It wasn't the least bit good for the bike, but Wally was impressed at Superboy's dedication, and patience. He was learning! But, why?

So many questions raced through his mind. When did Supey get a motorbike? When did Supey learn how to fix a bike? Supey on a motorcycle? Did he need help? Why didn't he ask for help?

"What?" asked Supey, in that gruff voice of his, apparently having noticed Kid Flash's entrance.

"I came to talk to you!" said Wally with a shrug, sitting cross-legged beside the clone within ten seconds.

When Supey didn't reply, Wally took it upon himself to chat, "So, how's life outside of Cadmus? How's living with Megan? She's a total babe, I bet you guys are totally getting it on!"

He playfully elbowed Supey in the ribs, earning a blank look from the clone. Wally was confused, had he said something wrong. Robin had mentioned that M'gann seemed attracted to Supey, so wasn't she?

"Getting what on?" asked Supey finally, and Wally turned red.

"Er- I said- getting along," said Wally lamely, after several minutes of subjective thinking of how to avoid discussing sex with a guy who'd just gotten out of a pod.

"No, you said getting  _it_  on," said Superboy, looking stony and angry again.

Wally's eyes widened from behind his sunglasses, and he turned red again, only for Superboy to point that out too, and say, "Why are you so flushed?"

"Er- getting it on means flirting and stuff. Jason says it a lot," said Wally immediately, before clamping his mouth shut. He hadn't meant to just spout that out!

"Who's Jason?" asked Superboy, so Wally nonchalantly shrugged and said, "Friend."

Unlike Wally, Superboy had to process things like a normal speed. His question had been both partially from curiosity, but mostly to absorb Kid Flash's suggestion. Superboy considered the words. He had no idea what stuff meant. Flirting was the action of behaving with a sexual attraction to a person in order to attract their affections but with no serious intentions. The idea was confusing and barely glossed over in the clone's mind. In fact, it was merely a verb in a list of definitions. The clone thought of Kid Flash's behavior to Miss Martian. He had seemed attracted to her, and behaved in such manner, so that must be flirting. He was positive he'd never behaved that way with M'gann.

"Oh. Why would I flirt with M'gann? I've never flirted with anyone before," said Superboy nonchalantly.

"Because she's totally pretty! Haven't you noticed?" asked Wally, curious. Hot alien babe! How could he  _not_  notice?

"I suppose," said Superboy with a shrug, "Is that why _you_ flirt with her? Because she's pretty? Are you supposed to flirt with people you find pretty?"

"Er- well, I guess... That's how my er- friends do things," said Wally with a shrug.

That wasn't a lie entirely. His brothers were huge flirts, and so was Dad. Jason had a new dame or dude every week. Dick had chaste dates with plenty of people. Bruce- well, he was Bruce Wayne. The eccentric play-boy billionaire with a penchant for adopting children (though he hadn't pulled a Wayne, as the media had coined it, since Wally). Flirting and compliments was second nature to a Wayne, and Wally found that people smiled more when he behaved that way. So he enjoyed playing the act up as Kid Flash, but with more humor, like the Flash.

"You're pretty," said Superboy suddenly, and Wally gaped at the other boy, his face turning bright red, "Should I flirt with you?"

Wally stared at Superboy, trying to process the meaning of those words. When he finally caught himself up in subjective time, he quickly began waving his arms, knocking the bike as he said, "No! That's not how it works!"

Superboy caught the bike before it toppled over, and shot the younger boy a glare. Superboy heard the rapid beating of the boy's heart, almost ten times faster then normal. His voice was cracking in-between words that were going too fast for even his super-hearing to decipher. He softened his glare when he saw Kid glancing nervously at the ground, face very red, like a fever over-taking him. He gently placed a hand on Kid's shoulder, and said, "Calm down."

"Er, right- sorry," said Wally, taking a deep breath. "Anyways, that's the reason why you can't flirt with just anyone you find pretty!"

"Okay," said Superboy, despite the fact that he had liked the flustered look on Wally's face, and he had no idea what the boy had been talking about. Kid Flash looked nice when he was red. It was strange because the boy hardly ever looked so flushed, but it highlighted his cheeks. He wondered what Kid's eyes looked like. But for now, Superboy decided it was better to just not flirt with anyone at all if it was this confusing and made Kid act weird. 

"So, the bike? When did you get that?" said Wally, suddenly a picture of perfect calmness, and Superboy stared, before shrugging it off as a Kid Flash thing.

"It's a project I'm working on," said Superboy with a shrug, "I'm going to fix it up."

"I didn't know you liked bikes," said Wally, "I'm pretty good with mechanics myself, I've had a bit of practice here and there. Rob likes bikes too, even has his own."

Superboy didn't comment on the mysterious sub-tone to Wally's words. He didn't really understand why the Flashes didn't reveal their secret identity, something about civilians they knew, but Kid talked about himself all the time. Robin didn't talk about himself near as much. Superboy continued to wonder about the color of Kid's eyes and if they were big or small behind those clunky glasses. Because Superboy didn't answer, Wally had already gone ahead to continue their mostly one-sided conversation.

"Do you want any help?" asked Wally, looking up at Superboy, and the clone once again was taken aback by how sincere Kid Flash was. Nobody was really that sincere to him. Kaldur sort of was, but Kaldur was kind of busy and was very polite. Distant too. And while he was patient, Superboy always felt a bit stiff around him. Robin wasn't the least bit sincere, but Superboy took that to be just a part of who he was, with all his cackles and mischief and it wasn't bad. But it made him wary. And he didn't quite know Miss Martian just yet. 

"I'm okay," said Superboy after a pause.

"Oh," said Wally, looking dejected.

"Maybe we can work on a different project together?" offered Superboy, not quite wanting to explain why the motorcycle was an independent project. It was just, his. The very first thing he had done for himself, and that made it special. The first thing he'd done that wasn't an order. That wasn't for anyone else. That was for himself.

"What?!" squeaked Kid Flash, looking strange again.

"Like- souvenir collecting?" offered Superboy, feeling uncomfortable. Had he said something wrong?

"Eh- yeah, I'll figure something out!" said Kid Flash, smiling again, "I'm going to see what Rob's up to. Er- See you around Superboy?"

"Sure," said Superboy, before he was suddenly left alone to his work on his bike. He shrugged, and got back to work.

* * *

 

Back at home the next day after the summer Science Club meeting at Gotham Acadamy, Wally had flashed upstairs. He'd raced on his track, showered, and found himself thinking about Superboy's words. Finally, he moved to his room, and began staring at himself in a mirror he'd stolen from the study. He was studying himself intently, trying to figure it out. He'd pulled on his Kid Flash civvies glasses, and was staring at himself in the mirror. For the last half-hour. That was a long time for a speedster. The answer eluded him. 

"Wally, er- What the heck are you doing?" asked Dick, as he came in to see his brother sitting on his bed and staring in a mirror.

"Am I pretty?" asked Wally suddenly, and Dick blinked. What?

"What?" asked Dick, and then Wally blushed and threw a his blanket over the mirror, snapping out of his reverie.

"It's nothing," said Wally with a shrug, looking somewhat dejected.

"Er- You're pretty Walls," said Dick, trying to figure out what had triggered this suddenly, "Why so concerned about this? Did someone say something at school? A girl?"

"No!" said Wally quickly, face flustered and arms waving wildly- a sign that he was embarrassed, "It's not like that!"

"Then- Are you being bullied? Did someone say you aren't pretty at your Science Club? Did they insinuate something mean?" asked Dick, alarm filling his features. This was why he wished Wally had joined Mathletes with him instead of the Science Club. He could monitor his brother in the Mathlete meetings. 

"No- just forget I mentioned anything, okay Dick?" pleaded Wally, before he jumped off his bed and headed to the door, "Let's just grab some dinner."

Dick stared in bewilderment after his little brother. Whatever this comment about prettiness meant, it was totally bothering Wally. He couldn't figure out what happened, and he suddenly felt uneasy. Wally never hid anything from Dick. Who had suddenly come between him and his little brother?


	12. Kobra Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes on their first mission. Kid Flash makes a fatal error.

Ever since that strange conversation with Superboy in the garage, Wally had found himself staring in mirrors longer. Nobody had ever called him pretty before. At least, not like that. Not so bluntly like it was just a fact. Once when he'd been a little bit younger and Dick was still in the middle-school with him, a couple of the meaner, bigger guys had called them pretty-boys just like Damian. Dick had gotten really angry, and only a few days later did Wally learn why being called pretty-boys like Damian was an insult. He still didn't get it. Damian was the toughest guy he knew besides Jason. He'd take that as a compliment any day.

But now, as he thought about it, Wally tried to figure out why he was so worked up about an innocent comment. Superboy probably hadn't even meant it that way. He was still brand new to the world. He probably didn't even know what it meant to be gay! So Wally brushed the thoughts of Superboy thinking he was pretty aside. Instead, he tried to figure out why he was so worked up over being pretty.

Pretty-boys were usually gay. At least, that's how that was at school.

Wally wasn't gay. At least, he didn't think he was. Sure, he hadn't had a 'first crush' yet like Dick had by the time he was thirteen. Or like Tim. Or Jason. He didn't know if Damian had one, but the only person Damian hung around with at any age was Colin, so it was possible. But he wasn't gay and nor did he have a friend like Colin. More so, he'd never associated himself with the gay community. He thought girls were pretty. He never thought boys were pretty. But he'd never really thought about kissing girls and stuff. Dad kissed lots of women. So did Jason. Tim had kissed a few girls besides Stephanie which often lead to the two arguing. Dick always took a girl who asked him out on at least one date, and Wally knew Dick had kissed a girl or two. Maybe even more. But Wally had never been kissed before.

And Superboy thought he was pretty. Did he mean pretty in a you-seem-gay way? Or did he mean pretty in that manly I-want-to-kiss-you-and-have-babies-with-you way? Except, Wally was pretty sure Superboy didn't know the meaning of pretty-boys. And Superboy probably didn't kiss people either. He'd probably never been kissed before. And Wally was definitely not kissing Superboy.  
Sure Superboy had really blue eyes. Like alien blue. Because in all his runs around the world with Uncle Barry, he hadn't found a blue quite like Supey's. It was electric, and there was some white flecks in his eye, but they were so light that they were kind of like ice. But they were dark under the surface and not light. And so mesmerizing. And this was totallyweird because straight guys didn't think about other guys eyes. Or the fact that they hadn't kissed anyone.

Okay. So maybe that gay thing wasn't totally bizarre. This would need to be investigated.

* * *

 

Their first official mission! And it couldn't come at a better time. Wally was practically bouncing around M'gann's bio ship with excitement as the team flew to Santa Prisca. This was going to be great! He could already envision his dad's proud face. And he was going to get a totally awesome souvenir from this mission. Just like his dad did from all his missions. Now he just needed a corner of Mount Justice for all his souvenirs like the Bat-Cave.

“Alright team, Aqualad is going ahead first,” said Robin sharply.

After the mission with Mister Twister, it was decided that Robin would lead the team, since Robin was better at strategies. Aqualad was better at assessing the group condition and teams skills, well, besides Kid Flash, but that was a bro thing. Besides, since Robin had the longest experience, and was associated with previous sidekicks to Batman, including Red Robin, his team leadership skills would come in handy.

After almost ten minutes of waiting, Aqualad gave them the signal that it was time to drop into the factory. Wally felt his stomach twisting in knots. He'd never done any mission like this before. Central's idea of drug-busts were usually louder and involved his Uncle Barry and not the Flash. If the Flash did show up, he never brought Kid Flash. The one time Kid had been near enough to try and join the drug bust, the Flash, Batman and the media had a frenzy. Apparently Wally was too young to be involved in a drug bust, never mind the fact that Robin had done the same. Dick said that it was because Wally acted childish for the cameras and people assumed Kid Flash was nine or ten instead of thirteen. Flash and Batman had claimed it was different doing drug busts because the Rogues wouldn't kill him, the gangs would.

Besides, Wally had never shown any interest in being a part of drug busts before. He was content doing the usual stop the robberies, prevent Flash death schemes, talk down James from his newest game, and stop muggers. This was uncharted territory. And Wally's nerves buzzed. They'd get through this together.

* * *

 

That was not how the mission was supposed to go. Robin had made the mistake of assuming the team knew his hand signals, so only Wally had picked up on the fact that Robin was going off to scout the area totally alone, without Batman backing him up, until the team could join them. Unfortunately, Kid had messed things up. He'd gotten worried when his big brother hadn't checked in with them. Worse still, M'gann was panicking and he'd been so lost in his thoughts that by the time he tuned back in, he didn't realize her panic was because she hadn't caught the signal.

Wally's nerves about the mission had triggered his subjective thinking, thus after only about four real minutes, Wally had skewed the time and felt as though it had been forty minutes. In his panic that Robin had been on radio-silence for forty minutes, Wally had decided to run ahead and find his big brother. Aqualad had told him to stay put- that they needed a plan!- but Wally had been too worried.

And then he slipped in the mud.

Bane and Kobra's men surrounded him pretty quickly. While Wally could have taken on Kobra's men, but Bane was not a part of the plan. Thankfully, his other teammates, sans Robin, had the good sense to follow him and managed to rescue him from Kobra's men, and Superboy had taken down Bane! Kid Flash wished he had seen that fight, since even his dad hadn't been able to take Bane down on his first go with the man! He'd ended up with a broken back- and so not the time to be relieving that memory.

Bane had struck a deal with the team, and despite Superboy's apprehension, they ended up using Bane to navigate the facility. Aqualad told Kid to scout ahead for Robin, using his speed and stealth, and to be careful. Finally, Kid had found his big brother in one of the labs. He was downloading intel. Robin had been right pissed that Kid had come after him, especially when they didn't know what they were dealing with. Well, they sort of now knew. Kobra-Venom. Totally creepy. Central didn't do crazy drugs, just the regular kind. Central's villains were all about robberies and killing Flash. Not a comforting thought, but not crazy drugs.

Except the team was discovered by Kobra. Apparently Bane wasn't worth trusting. Kid and Robin had managed to come to their friends aid, and Superboy was fighting Mammoth- What was with him and picking the biggest villain to fight? Except Kobra had a ton of men! Robin ordered the retreat first, and they'd ended up in a cave, totally wiped.

While Kid was refuelling, the Team voted Aqualad lead this mission for now. Kid knew his brother was upset. It was from the way Robin went into his Batman-mode, and just kind of went blank. But Aqualad's plan worked, and Bane and his crazies went down. Factory dead. Kablamo! And Kid had gotten an awesome gun for a souvenir.

But Robin was upset, and that meant Wally couldn't be happy.

* * *

 

“Hey Rob?” asked Kid uneasily, as he approached his brother in the Mountain training room, feeling apprehensive. It was his fault Rob's plan had screwed up, and he'd gotten demoted.

“Go away Kid,” said Robin easily, but with a bite in his voice. To an ordinary person, it would sound blank, but it was the Batman-voice.The one that Robin used to cut off his emotions as he tacked on, “I'm training.”

“Can't we talk?” asked Kid, dropping his glasses just slightly to reveal the green of his eyes.

“Put your glasses back up!” ordered Robin sharply, and Kid winced at the tone, but complied as Robin flipped off the chin-up bar thingy, and came beside his brother, arms folded and looking cross. “Well Kid?”

“Are you mad at me? I'm sorry! I totally screwed up!” asked Kid, looking embarrassed, and inching closer to his brother, pleading with his body language for forgiveness.

“What?!” asked Robin, stepping back in surprise, looking directly at Kid for the first time since the mission, and apparently startled by what he saw.

“Are- Did – I messed up because I went into subjective thinking- and now you're not leader- or are you?” asked Kid, face screwed up in an effort not to blubber like a moron for forgiveness.

“I'm not mad at you Kid,” said Robin with a sigh, “If anything, I should have noticed how freaked out you were. This was your first mission of this nature, and I blew it by not talking to you about it. Or teaching anyone else the hand-signals. As for the leadership thing, I don't know. I'll have to report to Batman what happened, and we'll see from there.”

Dick went silent, his face blank. Kid glanced up at his big brother, and swallowed back his own worries about being gay and thinking about Superboy's eyes. He'd totally tell Robin another day. Right now though, “Well, until then, we're going to play video games and eat ice-cream until I puke! C'mon!”


	13. Psycho Pirate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission with Psycho Pirate exposes Wally's fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know what happened in this mission beyond the wiki page, so I sort of improvised it. Don't hold it against me!   
> Thanks for all the Kudos and Comments!

Ever since the revelation that Wally had about being gay, he'd started to freak out internally. The idea had never been something he'd considered. Sexuality, Wally was coming to realize, was not the least bit straight forward. It didn't help that he couldn't google these sorts of things like any other kid would. He wasn't ready to tell his dad, or his brothers about the situation, and one well-placed surveillance sweep would bring the issue in front of everyone. So instead Wally tried checking out the guys at his Science Club.

The guys at Science Club were scrawny, or had acne-ridden faces, or big ears, or buck teeth and braces. Of course, that wasn't all of them, but they weren't attractive. Not to Wally. It was too weird to look at his friends and try and think of them as boyfriends. He couldn't imagine kissing any of them. Besides, he'd practically grown up around these boys. Most of them were spoiled rotten, and while being nice or decent, were not good for much beyond being civilian friends. Not that he knew if they were gay or not, but that hurdle was second to the hurdle of secrets.

He didn't want to just go fool around with some guy either. He didn't want to  _experiment_. Jason experimented enough for the whole family, and Wally didn't like the idea of being in an easy relationship. It felt, cheap. Like he was surrendering himself to a love that was fake. Besides, this was his first relationship, and he didn't want to try out anything with anyone because he wasn't sure if he liked boobs or not. Heck, maybe he liked the option of boobs and no boobs. Relationships were complicated enough without Wally adding his own uncertainties to them.

Wally knew what a failed relationship looked like. His family was riddled with them. He knew the main cause of that was secrets. And that wasn't how Wally wanted to start a relationship. He didn't want to get involved with one of his friends and then ruin things because he'd been curious. Especially not because he was lying to them. He didn't want a relationship like Steph and Tim's, which was filled with sexual tension and secrets either. Just because all the tension somehow kept them from ever moving on from the other, Wally knew it hurt. And he didn't want his relationships to hurt.

When Wally considered the situation, late at night after returning from patrolling Central, Wally found himself wondering about Damian and Colin, Iris and Barry, and Joan and Jay. As far as Wally knew, Damian and Colin had always been together, always gravitating and loving and just fitting with the other. Iris and Barry had other dates and relationships, and Barry knew the life of a civilian. He'd mentioned a woman he'd almost loved named Patty, once long ago, but how things hadn't worked because she didn't like the Flash, and he'd never taken the step. But he never regretted it, because Iris was more than enough for him. Jay and Joan were high school sweet hearts, like Colin and Damian, but with a proper relationship and less scandal. And Joan had never spurned Jay, because she loved him. Wally didn't know anyone he fit with like that, boy or girl. And if Wally wanted a relationship, he wanted _that._  The comfort of being loved unconditionally. He didn't want to pour himself into a relationship and never recover from that. His father was proof enough of what being spurned by lovers did to a man. He didn't want to brood.

Of course, he didn't show his struggle on his face. Years of being the son of Batman had taught him how to maintain a good poker face. However, subjective thinking was his own worst enemy as he processed this much faster then a normal kid. And with not much else to think about, his mind rolled back to that topic. By the time their next mission rolled around, Wally was between crises.

Robin and Aqualad had still not figured out who was to be leader of the team, but since the disastrous incident with Kobra, Aqualad was taking control of this mission. Robin had not been happy, but it wasn't a choice they could afford to make on the field. Even if it was a simple mission. Stop a robbery of plutonium. Kid was prepared for this. He thrived to run, to strike, to beat down bad guys and taste the adrenaline that animated his soul and let his mind free.

He was totally, one hundred percent ready! He'd analyzed his mistakes, and would make sure to keep an eye on Robin this time, without breaking orders! He'd make sure not to let his nerves get the better off him. He'd do better this time, he really would.

* * *

Entering the laboratory where they'd kept the plutonium was easy enough. Security was dispatched trying to go after Atomic Skull and the other guy. However, it was eerily quiet the closer they got to the scene of the crime. The security guards at the doors hadn't said much beyond the fact that Skull's partner had managed to take control of the situation.

"Race ahead Kid!" called Aqualad from behind him, "Try and distract the others."

Kid nodded, adjusting his goggled slightly. Robin tossed him a funny look, a cross of worry and smile. Kid merely gave him a quick thumbs up (speedster quick, so Robin may not even have noticed) and then kicked into hyper drive. Before arriving at the mission base, the team had been giving the blueprints to study. Wally knew exactly where he was going, and Robin had crackled on his comm-link and was hissing instructions as he moved, cutting through the air. Finding the villains had been a piece of cake. Now to take down Atomic Skull and his partner who was-

Oh crap.

Super-psycho-villain. What was his name? He was blathering about it as Wally felt the beginnings of a spell taking over. Psycho-pirate. And he was going to use magic.  _Right, this was not good._  God he hated magic. Then Kid Flash fell to the Medusa Mask.

* * *

 

_You're never going to be good enough. Barry never wanted a sidekick. You forced yourself into the role. It was only out of respect for your dad and Auntie Iris that he took you on. You'll never be as good as your brothers. You needed to become a meta-human to be a hero like them. They don't think you can handle it. You can't handle it! That's why they don't let you patrol Gotham. That's why they don't let anyone know you're related to them. It's not some secret identity thing. They just don't think you're good enough!_

_And why would they? Nobody can take you seriously anyways? All you do is goof off and play video games. You're trying too hard to make everyone laugh. To make everyone see the worthiness inside of you. But they don't. They think you're a joke!_

**No they don't.**

_Superboy doesn't even think you're pretty. He'd be disgusted if he knew that you had been thinking about him. The poor guy isn't even a few weeks old and you're experimenting on him. What a freak. Nobody likes you. Nobody wants you around._

**That's not true! Rob likes me. He's never lied- has he?**

_Nobody knows about the gay thing. How can you not be sure if you're gay? What kind of freak of nature are you? Damian just knew he was. See how indecisive and pathetic you are? That you can't even figure out whether you're gay or not! So lame!_

_Lame!Yousuck!You'renoteven-_

**Shut up!**

* * *

 

Wally felt the hold of the mask slipping from his consciousness as it sped up, the spell not being able to keep up with his speed. As he came out of the curse, he was shaken up, understandably. As he began to look around, he saw his team-mates in similar conditions. Superboy was acting out, going aggressive and beginning to punch things. Robin was in full-out Batman mode, standing like him, gone serious and broody. And Kid himself, he was curled up into a little ball with wet eyes behind his goggles. Huh. That wasn't a great pick-me-up. 

Psycho-Pirate was laughing, as he held his Medusa mask, and Kid felt a hot rage boiling inside of him. The anger struck his nerves, and he ran, faster then he ever had before and grabbed the mask from the man. As soon as the mask left Psycho-Pirate's hold, the team was free. The hold of the spell didn't work once the mask was out of Psycho Pirate's hands. And Kid was glad for that. 

He turned around the curve, the speed propelling him forward as he knocked Psycho to the ground. The mask slipped into the thin belt of his suit, as he pulled out some zip-ties and de-cel line. Psycho flailed as Kid raced around him with the road, his heart hammering and his eyes still wet. As Kid reigned in his fight with psycho-pirate, moving at fast speeds to keep the villain from getting the upper hand, he saw his team going after Atomic Skull and the stolen plutonium.

By the time they returned, Wally had Psycho-Pirate all wrapped up tight and ready to go to the authorities. And despite Aqualad's praise, and the grin Robin had, Wally still felt empty on the inside. 

* * *

 

"Wally? Can I come in kiddo?" asked his dad from Wally's bedroom door.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure dad," said Wally, glancing up from his book about advanced special relativity problems. He'd been doing physics problems all night, partially because tomorrow he'd be spending all day at the Science Club, and partially as a means to distract himself from the effects of the Medusa Mask and the words implanted in his mind.

"Robin told me about the mission you guys had, about the Medusa Mask," said Bruce seriously, as he sat down on Wally's bedside table. "That must have been rough. How are you feeling kid?"

"I'm fine dad," said Wally, putting on his bravest smile, "Besides, I totally broke the hold first! It was a load of crap."

Bruce gave him the raised eyebrow of sarcastic doom. Wally's smile faded. He could never lie to anyone in his family. Or any of his teachers. Or any of his friends, like Roy. He just _sucked_  at lying. Ironically, the only people who believed his lies was Alfred and Cass, but Wally was pretty sure they did that to screw around with the others, and because he always felt so guilty that within the hour he'd tell them the truth. It took a special kind of man to lie to those two. 

"It wasn't the best, experience," said Wally carefully, looking at his quilt, "But I mean- I know you guys love me, and I wasn't even under that long."

"Wally, did you have doubts about us loving you?" asked Bruce, looking alarmed, "Because- That's not true son."

"I know dad," said Wally, a natural smile appearing on his face, "And that's why the mask didn't have any effect on me!"

Bruce sighed as he looked at his son for a long time. Finally, he moved his hand, and ruffled Wally's hair affectionately. Worry still sparked in his eyes. Wally beamed, as his father stood up and said, "Good night then Wally. And- We love you- I love you, no matter what."


	14. Sexuality and Puberty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally has an encounter that leaves him a little breathless and confused. The family begins to worry that they forgot to give Wally the Talk.

Wally sighed as he walked around Central as Wallace West. After the mission with Psycho-Pirate, it had come time for Wallace West-Wayne's annual visit to Central City to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. Ever since he was little, Wally had always been allowed to stay over at Auntie Iris's house for two weeks of the summer vacation. Usually Dick came along, and the two 'slummed' in Central (which made no sense since Gotham's cleanest streets weren't half as safe as the neighborhood Auntie Iris lived in), but ever since Dick became Robin, Wally came to stay with Iris by himself. It especially helped that he was now Kid Flash and thus Barry and he could get a lot of training done, if the criminals were quiet, and he could visit Jay more often.

His Science Club members were always disappointed when he took his vacation, especially since that meant he missed out on valuable training time for the Science Bowl competitions that started up as soon as the school year began. He'd been receiving notes and emails filled with stuff they wanted to share with him, but Wally didn't have the stomach for it. All he could think about was his gay situation and the incident with Psycho-Pirate.

Normally, nobody could pick him up quite like Auntie Iris, but a big part of his current dilemma had caused him to isolate himself from his Aunt and Uncle, and go on long walks through Central City. Sometimes he'd confront the crisis and try and look for someone attractive, a guy, but most people in Iris's neighborhood were _old_. So instead, he just enjoyed drinking in the sights and getting to know the people he protected. Their lives were far more interesting then his own, especially since for an almost-fourteen-year old kid, he felt like he was dealing with an early onset mid-life crisis. It was easier to deal with Joan the Baker's arthritis, or Handy Sal and his wife Perry's arguments, or the mechanic Joey's dog that kept barking and disturbing his neighbors. And sometimes, like now, it was nice to just walk and think.

"Watch it!" said a man, and Wally stumbled backwards, but he didn't fall. Bat-Training- always land on your feet.

He glanced at the man with straw-berry blonde hair glaring down at him. The man was carrying a book filled with musical leaflets, and had pretty blue eyes. He'd caught Wally's arm to keep him from falling, and now Wally was staring at him. The man in question looked sort of familiar, and despite the fact that he was probably nineteen or twenty, he looked more mature, older than his years.

"Sorry about that! I wasn't watching where I was going," said Wally earnestly.

The man in front of him was handsome. Not in that Superboy-alien way, or the Roy muscly way (Since when did Wally associate Roy as handsome?! This gay thing was getting out of hand), or even in the statuesque Damian and Bruce Wayne way. He was handsome in a geeky sort of way, kind of like Tim. He probably looked good with glasses. His nose was a bit long, but it suited the man's face. But he wasn't attractive to Wally. Apparently not Wally's type. Maybe he wasn't gay if this perfectly nice looking man wasn't turning on those hormones- was it testosterone or estrogen? He needed to look these things up, if it weren't for the stupid Bat-watch.

"Kid? Did you hear a thing I said?" asked the man, looking vaguely amused.

"Ah- sorry!" said Wally, blushing in embarrassment, "Could you- er- repeat that?"

"I asked you where your mom was. You look lost," said the man gently, and Wally scowled.

"I'm not lost!" said Wally stubbornly, "And I don't need my mom to walk me around the city! I'm fourteen!" _Almost_.

"Hartley!" called a voice, "There you are!"

The man, Hartley, turned around and waved at the approaching figure. It was another college student, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, like Hartley, and with dark skin. His skin was like a mocha, and he had dark brown hair that fell choppily around his face. He was more muscular then his friend, and taller too, with a filled out shape. His eyes were a deep brown, but warm as they glanced down at Wally. They were exotic and almond shaped and really  _mesmerizing_  as he got a closer look. Was it possible to have an eye fetish? Because maybe the eyes were the reason Wally's tongue stopped working and he suddenly knew what people meant when they said  _hubba-hubba_.

"Who's this?" asked the new man, as he glanced over at Wally again.

"No idea David, he bumped into me, and I thought he was lost," said Hartley with a smile, as the man, David, wrapped an arm around Hartley's waist.

Wally's eyes widened, and oh bugger they were  _gay_! It was like his thoughts attracted the gay couple to him. This was so  _awkward_ , and blushing, he muttered, "Yeah, sorry. Anyways, got to go! Bye!"

And with that, Wally skidaddled away, feeling totally embarrassed and definitely thinking about that gay thing all over again. And brown eyes.

* * *

 

_That night, Wally found himself dreaming a really pleasant dream. He was walking down the street, when someone suddenly came around and wrapped an arm around Wally's waist. Dream-Wally laughed, and turned to face the most startlingly pretty brown eyes. They were like pools of Alfred's coffee that he brewed late at night for his father and brothers when they got home from patrol._ _  
_

_"Found you," said the man, huskily and with the most sensuous tone, "Do I get to keep you?"_

_"David," said Wally, and his voice sounded richer and throaty, "There you are!"_

_And then David wrapped an arm around his waist, and tilted Wally's head up, and they were kissing. Wally had never kissed someone, but this was amazing! The man nibbled on Wally's lower lip, and he felt a tongue enter his mouth, kind of like the way Jason described when Wally was fake-sleeping and he was sharing a drink with Damian and Tim, and it wiggled in Wally's mouth, and Wally moaned._

_David's hands pulled Wally closer, and he wrapped his own hand around David's neck, bringing his hand through the short locks of brown hair, feeling the silky, short fuzzy hair. Fuzzy? Rough? That didn't feel right._

With a start, Wally opened his eyes to find his hand touching Flash-Bear's head. Thankfully he hadn't been making out with the bear, but it was still totally weird. Wally flushed as he remembered the dream, and groaned as he covered his head. His body was betraying him and this was so not cool because wet-dreams didn't happen to him, like  _ever_. Goddamn puberty and homosexuality.

Punching the pillow, Wally went back to sleep, and thankfully, he didn't have anymore awkward dreams.

* * *

 

The next day, Wally pulled out his state-of-the-art WayneTech laptop, and pulled up Skype. With a few taps of the computer keys, he was on the reconfigured Bat-Skype, which allowed him to dial Tim and immediately get through on the securest connection possible. Tim, for his part, looked like he hadn't slept all night. So, he looked extremely well-rested for Tim, which made Wally feel more secure in asking his questions.

"Wally?" asked Tim in surprise through the camera, "What's up?"

"I- I wanted to ask you a question," said Wally, blushing slightly.

"Something about your Science Club? Last time we spoke you guys were covering the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, right? Did you read that stuff I sent you about Schrodinger and Heisenberg's arguments about wave and matrix mechanics? It's pretty interesting stuff. And did you try deriving the uncertainty principle on your own? Are you stuck on that?" said Tim easily.

"Um- it's not about Heisenberg," assured Wally quickly, "But that stuff was really awesome that you sent me! I showed it to the team, and they thought it was pretty amazing!"

"So- What's the question then?" asked Tim, peering at Wally with concern in his blue eyes. Wally rarely went to Tim with questions beyond his Science club.

"Er- Have you ever had a dream about someone you just met on the street for like- a minute?" asked Wally.

Tim stared at Wally, and then sighed before saying, "Back story?"

"I have a friend- not me- who had a dream about this person he ran into on the street for a minute," said Wally quickly, "And they like- kissed- but I mean- despite theguybeing cute andallthat'snotnormal-

"Slow," said Tim firmly. "But I get what you're saying, I guess. You had a dream about someone you found attractive?"

"Yeah," said Wally, groaning. He should have just come out instead of tried to use the lame my-friend excuse. Tim saw through his lies, mostly because they were crap, but also because he was like a walking polygraph test.

"It's not abnormal to have dreams about people you find attractive Wally, everyone has a fantasy dream or two," said Tim, sounding completely relaxed, "It's totally natural. Are you going to pursue this fantasy?"

"No!" said Wally quickly, "He had a boyfriend! I'm so not pursuing that, besides, he was in college or something and I don't even know who he was!"

"Was this your first dream of this nature?" asked Tim, sounding genuinely curious.

"Er-

"Look, it's not a big deal. Everyone has a wet dream-

"I did not have a wet dream! It- I- Nothing happened!" spluttered Wally, almost tossing his laptop to the ground in furious embarrassment. He was not having the puberty talk with Tim!

"Okay then. Was that all you wanted to know?" asked Tim, as someone yelled in the background, probably Starfire.

"Yeah," said Wally with a weak grin, "Thanks Tim! I'm going to eat breakfast now, can we talk after- about like, normal stuff?"

"Sure thing Kid," said Tim with a grin, "I'll be here."

"Great!" said Wally, and with that, he clicked off the chat and sped off for breakfast.

* * *

 

Back in San Francisco, the grin fell off of Tim's face for a grim look. He immediately began dialing his brothers, sister and father, hacking into their comm-links and or cell-phones so they had no choice but to pick up.

 _"What Drake?"_ asked an annoyed Damian, sounding like he had just woken up. Beside him, a muffled voice- Colin- told him to leave the bed.

 _"Tim, is something wrong?"_  asked his father, sounding unnerved and worried, which meant he was probably on his way to work and awake enough to assume it was a major problem.

 _"This better be good Big Bird, I have a hot blonde with a rack the size of watermelons waiting for me in the bedroom for memorable morning sex,"_ came Jason's voice.

 _"Everything okay Tim?"_  asked Cass in her quiet concerned manner.

 _"Why am I on this chat- do the Bats need help? Is a speedster involved? Zoom again?"_ asked the Flash, sounding completely confused.

 _"Why isn't Wally on this chat? Is something wrong with Walls?"_  asked Dick, ever the observant one.

 _"Yes, there is something wrong with Wally. We have a problem guys,"_  said Tim sternly,  _"And I blame Bruce for not having this talk with him sooner."_

* * *

 

After an hour of talking to Tim about special relativity and wave mechanics and matrix mechanics, Wally headed downstairs and plopped down beside his Aunt Iris. She was busy writing a report for GBS, but welcomed Wally beside her as she ran a hand through his red hair, pulling his head gently into her lap as he spread his legs on her couch. When he was younger, he'd often take a nap like this. Now he was old enough that his legs needed to rest on the arm of the couch.

"Auntie I," said Wally with a grin, "What are you writing about?"

"I've been asked to participate in a panel of reporters discussing the benefits of the Justice League and having a team of superheroes," said Iris with a smile, "So I'm making a list of notes to take to the debate."

"Did you write down the time that Flash and Kid Flash were in Gotham and helped Batman and Nightwing and Robin and Abuse take down that under-ground ring of drug-peddlers working for the Joker to poison Gotham's water supply?"

"I forgot about that," said Iris, beaming at Wally as she scribbled it down, "That's a great example, but I'll have to focus on Batman and Flash more. Don't want to give the other side the chance to talk about child endangerment being endorsed by the League."

"Psht, like dad or Uncle Barry would let us get hurt," said Wally flippantly.

"So what's new in your life Wally?" she asked, putting her pad down.

"Not much, now that I have the Team though it's really awesome!" said Wally, as he began to re-tell the story of his encounters with Kobra, Psycho-Pirate and Atomic Skull.

"I meant in your personal life. How's the Science Club?" asked Iris gently after he finished the story, "How's Wally doing?"

"My personal life?" asked Wally, uncertainly, "It's alright I guess. That guy, Ricky Sullivan, he doesn't bother me as much since Dick talked to him."

"That's good to hear," said Iris firmly, "He's a dummy anyways."

Wally was silent for a minute, before he asked, "What does it mean when someone calls you pretty?"

Iris looked at Wally in surprise, and paused for a minute. She smiled widely, and then said, "Well, it means they think you're pretty. Who said that to you? Someone from school?"

"Just a friend," said Wally, his face a little pink, "I wasn't sure what it meant, that's all."

"Do you like this friend?" teased Iris with a smile.

"I-  _Should_  I like this friend?" asked Wally, uncertainly, "Nobody's ever called me pretty before."

"You don't have to like someone just because they said you're pretty," said Iris firmly, "Only if you're attracted to them too. And only if they're a good person."

"He's a really good guy, even if he's a little misunderstood," said Wally quickly, "He's really serious and broody, a bit like dad, but he's honest and good and he's my friend but I don't know if I like-like him, you know?"

"Then just be friends for now," said Iris, as she ran a hand through Wally's red hair, gently petting his head, "And if later on, you feel something more, then go for it. So, do I know him?"

"I- I never said it was a him!" said Wally, sitting up quickly.

Iris just raised an eyebrow, and Wally sighed and blushed when he realized what he'd said, and said, "No you don't, and er- can we keep the guy thing between us? Are you okay with me- liking guys?"

"Wally, I love you sweetie, and it's okay if you aren't ready to tell anyone that you like guys," said Iris firmly, "But nobody's going to judge you for it."

"I know, I just- I'm not ready," said Wally uncertainly, "And I'm not sure either if I really do like dudes, y'know?."

"Well when you are," began Iris, "I'll be here for you."

"Thanks Aunt I," said Wally with a grin, and then, "What about the time Batman and Flash and Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter fought off Sinestro because the GL's were off world?"

"Oh! That's a great example," said Iris, taking her pad back.

* * *

 

Outside the hallway, Barry placed his keys into the bowl by the door-way. He was about to make his customary, 'Honey I'm home!' call to the house, but the conversation with Tim berating everyone Wally had regular interactions with for not having the Talk with him ran through Barry's mind. Honestly, Barry had thought living in a house with five older brothers would be enough of a lesson, or Bruce would handle it.

And the fact that apparently Wally was debating his sexuality on top of it all was even more concerning. Wally was just a kid! He was thirteen. He shouldn't be thinking about sexuality and dating or any of that. When had Wally started growing up? Despite the conversation with the Bats, nobody had said anything about having a talk with Wally. Barry was wondering if he should take it on himself to discuss sex and puberty with Kid. He wasn't Wally's father, but he was his mentor. But the idea was making him squeamish. Besides, he didn't want to step on Bruce's toes.

As he made his way to the living room, he caught the snippets of Wally and Iris's conversation.  _'Are you okay with me liking guys?'_ asked Wally, and Barry felt himself stop and eavesdrop. Once the conversation on his confusion ended, Barry clicked his comm-link, feeling fairly faint, and said,  _"The problem has intensified."_


	15. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Superboy discusses civilian life during a team bonding exercise. Then an incident occurs leaving him confused.

Wally had come to a conclusion by the end of his visit to Central. Two more missions went by, and he was certain. He did  _not_  like Superboy. It was merely those flustering words the clone had uttered that had confused him. He was still not too sure about the gay thing, but he was working on it. Namely by ignoring the entire matter. He'd noticed Dick's inquisitive looks as he buried himself into the Science Club and Central patrols, but Dick hadn't asked questions, so Wally hadn't mentioned anything either. He felt guilty, even if it was a lie of omission. However, the relief that he didn't like Superboy was astounding, and it meant that he could work on something new! Namely, teaching Superboy about being a normal kid. Well, once he was done his initial project.

After their last mission fighting Amazo, Wally had asked his dad about the souvenir room. He had just wanted to know if it was okay considering the Mountain had never had one before, but his dad had gone several steps ahead. Currently, the room was filled with boxes for the best quality display cases. They were stacked around the room, waiting to be open and fixed. And Wally was thrumming with excitement to get started.

"Wally! There you are," said M'gann with a smile, "We're all ready to go the beach today! Aren't you joining us?"

"Sorry beautiful," said Wally with his suavest smile, which was really just a wide grin, "Rain check. I'm fixing the souvenir room up today."

He nodded to the boxes stacked up, and the paint cans. The latter had been his own addition, and charged to his Wayne account. He highly doubted his dad would notice, and if he said anything about the lurid orange walls, it would probably be to Alfred. Wally was totally giving this room a new look, and it was going to be obnoxious and loud- just the way he liked things.

The martian girl looked in wide-eyed surprise around the room, before giving a happy clap.

"Oh, do you need help! We should set this up together! As a team," said M'gann, surprising Wally. He hadn't thought anyone else would be interested.

"You think so?" asked Wally curiously, "But you planned this beach party for a while now, aren't you- I mean-

"Of course not silly," said M'gann with a bright smile, "We can play at the beach any day. Summer's not over yet! Besides, this looks like it needs a lot of work."

"Then let's go get the others!" cheered Wally, grinning as M'gann flew after the speeding boy.

* * *

Despite his apprehension, both Kaldur and Robin were enthused about the idea. They were still having leadership issues, and this seemed like a great opportunity to try and do a team activity that helped figure out their roles. Robin wasn't a bad leader. He'd been the one who'd come up with a plan to take down Amazo after the mystery arrow saved Wally from impending doom. Kaldur was patient and understood everyone's capabilities. The team had unofficially picked Kaldur as leader, which had left Robin feeling down for days and in a moody Bat-brood.

However, this was a welcome relief. Superboy, Miss M and Kaldur had moved the boxes outside the room. One wall was going to be fitted with a recessed display case, with a glass cover. The other three walls were going to be painted orange. Robin had taken it upon himself to hook up the security to the wall with the inbuilt display case. All the cases would have a security lock that was accessible only by the team itself, and Batman. Even the Justice League wouldn't be able to touch it.

"Should Conner and I start putting the shelves into the case, Robin?" asked Aqualad, nodding to the wall.

"One second Kal," replied Robin easily, "I'm just turning off the motion sensors."

"Kid Flash, do you need any help with the painting?" asked M'gann, as Wally cracked open a tub of paint. He had two roller brushes in both hands, before he grinned up the martian.

"Sure thing babe," said Wally, handing her a roller, "Can you get the top half?"

"Of course," said Miss M, as Wally began to speed paint the lower half of the walls. M'gann was considerably slower, as she painted the parts of the wall that Kid Flash couldn't reach. By the time Wally had finished the painting, M'gann had just touched up one wall. And Wally had orange paint splattered on his shirt, cheeks, and trousers. Even the plasticky orange was in his red hair, a positively garish combination with his natural, sun burnt orange sheen.

"Kid, wash your face," said Robin without turning around or missing a beat on his computer, as he directed Conner and Kaldur in putting the shelves in.

"Why?" asked Kid Flash, before realizing he'd splattered a dollop of paint on one of the lenses of his sunglasses and it was a hindrance to his sight. "Oh crap! Rob- Can you loan me another pair of glasses?"

"My room, go grab some," said Robin easily, and Kid beamed before speeding off.

"Kid Flash knows your room code?" asked M'gann, surprised. She'd known Robin and Wally were close, but she hadn't realized that they were _that_  close.

"Uh- yeah," said Robin with a shrug, "He's my best friend, so I told him."

"Are you supposed to tell friends that kind of thing?" asked Superboy, uncertainly. He was fairly sure that Black Canary had insisted he keep the room code to himself as it was a very private thing to let someone into your personal space. More personally, he didn't think he'd feel comfortable with anyone entering his room. It was bad enough to have M'gann entering the surface of his mind. Was this another 'normal boy' thing he had to learn about? And what if he  _didn't_  want to learn?

"It is not suggested," said Aqualad easily, "However, if you find yourself trusting a person enough, or if you feel that you wish a person to have entry to your room even if you aren't with them, then you share the code."

"It's like- a bro thing," said Robin, "Only if you're sure you can trust that person not to mess up your room. Or at least, not mess it up too bad."

"Oh," said Superboy with a shrug. He didn't quite grasp the intricacies of social relationships. He wondered if he  _ever_  would.

* * *

When Wally got back, he had changed into Robin's clothes as well. His shirt was a bit too big on him, and hung off loosely from the neck-hole, revealing an expanse of pale white, freckled skin. The pants, while they fit right, were an inch too long, so Wally had rolled them up. The souvenir room was looking good. The shelves were in the last wall case, and Robin had begun fitting in the various souvenirs. He had to calibrate the motion sensors and weight-sensitive security around the various souvenirs that Wally had collected.

"Isn't that shirt a bit too big?" asked Robin immediately, looking at Wally with his Batman-face.

"It's fine," said Wally with a shrug, confused at Robin's behavior, "Anyways, I'm going to start putting together the tower-display case. Who wants to help me?"

"Superboy can assist you," said Kaldur with a nod, "I am almost done cleaning the floors."

"Cool, c'mon Supey!" said Kid Flash easily, nodding to the other boy.

Superboy grunted, and stood up from his seated position. He'd been on a break, since M'gann was still painting, and Kaldur didn't really require much help cleaning the floors as he used his water powers to mop and dry the floor with ease.

"So we need to set the tower case up in the middle of the room," said Wally quickly, as the two walked out of souvenir room to grab the box, "It's got to be the best case, y'know? All the coolest souvenirs can go in there. And then the other cases will go around it. That way it's kind museum-like."

Superboy grunted his affirmative, before glancing at Wally with confusion, and saying, "You smell funny."

Wally made a face at that, and laughed as he said, "I borrowed Rob's deodorant. The paint smelled kind of weird so I tried to cover it up. I thought I smelled okay!"

"It smells like the paint and Robin," said Superboy with a shrug, "Not like you."

"I smell?" asked Wally, confused and horrified. Dude! Kryptonians and their enhanced  _everything_  sucked sometimes.

"Everyone smells like something," said Superboy, as means of explanation.

"Oh, so what do I smell like?" said Wally with a nod, as he began to shift through the sea of boxes, searching for the tower-display.

"Like whatever you were eating last," said Superboy, and Wally laughed at the blunt reply, "And after you run you smell like sweat. Sometimes like both. Then after you shower you smell clean- like honey and milk. And sometimes you smell like chemicals, usually when you just get here. Why do you smell like chemicals a lot?"

"Usually I come here right after science club," explained Wally, as he finally found the box. Superboy just lifted it up with ease, throwing it over his shoulder and letting Wally lead the way, "So we usually do experiments each day. It's to prepare for the Science Bowl that starts in October."

"What's a Science Bowl?" asked Superboy, his familiar uncertain face on.

"It's like a grand competition between all the schools in my area," explained Wally, "We compete based on science facts and questions. Two teams go up against each other for the grand prize. We do experiments to practice with reactions, and also just for fun. And I'm the chemistry, physics and general science guy. I'm not bad at biology, but those three are my specialities. The point of the competition is that the announcer will ask questions, and we have to buzz in really fast to answer correctly."

"So- you win a lot?" asked Superboy with a nod, "Because you're fast?"

"Yep," said Wally with a wink, then realized Superboy couldn't see it behind the glasses, "I'm the fastest buzzer on our team. But there's more to school then just Science Bowl, y'know? I wanted to do track, but it's totally unfair considering who I am. So this is the only way I can be fast."

"What's track?" asked Superboy.

As they returned back to the middle of the room, Wally began to regale the clone with the rules of track and field. He explained the various events, and eventually, Robin joined in. Robin even gave Superboy, and Miss Martian and Kaldur, a display of how high-jump and gymnastics worked, using parts of the shelves for props. Then Kaldur launched into tales of how sports worked in Atlantis, and of his magic training. M'gann described several sports on Mars that she knew of.

As they talked, Wally had Superboy holding the outer edges of the case up while Wally screwed things together. Superboy's strength made it easy for him to lift and put things together as Wally instructed, as well as hold it and not be troubled by the weight. Batman didn't mess around. Wally had a suspicious feeling that these cases were military-grade stuff. When Kaldur finished his tale, he left with Miss Martian and Robin went off to get the next two display cases.

"So, think you're going to join any teams when you start school?" asked Wally to Superboy, as he lifted last glass edge of the round case, which was really more of a hexagonal shape then cylinder, and began screwing it in. He had to be careful not to speed too quickly while he worked, otherwise he ran the risk of starting a fire from the friction. Once it was set, Wally grabbed the shelves and slowly began fitting them into place.

"Why would I go to school?" asked Superboy with a scoff, leaning back until Wally needed him, "Cadmus already programmed me with all the stuff I'd need to know."

Wally's jaw dropped as he stared at Superboy, and immediately he said, "No no no! That's so not why you go to school dude! You go because there's babes, and the cafeteria has really good food, and all your friends hang out here. And to join clubs and teams! Plus it's to maintain a civilian identity."

"I don't need a civilian identity," growled Superboy, getting a little impatient, "And all my friends are here."

"You totally need a civilian identity," said Wally with a shake of his head, as he jumped onto the shelf and sat down, wiggling side to side, to test if the screws would hold. "Even Superman has one. Being a civilian is fun!"

Superboy looked unimpressed by Wally's argument, so Kid Flash continued, "Being Superboy all the time would be boring! I mean- I love being Kid Flash, don't get me wrong, but Kid Flash has way too much responsibility and has to be a hero! When I'm my civilian self, I get to have fun and just be W- myself. Well, as much of myself as I can be. It's sort of how I am right now, but less awesome because I can't speed."

"So why would I want to be less awesome?" asked Superboy bluntly, "Besides, I'm a weapon. I'm not supposed to have a civilian life."

Wally jumped off the shelf, and took the other, unscrewed shelf and lightly hit Superboy across the face with it, to avoid breaking the shelf or breaking his hand if he tried to actually land a hit on the clone. The clone looked startled as the boy handed it to him, and made Superboy hold it in place so that he could screw the bolts in.

"How many times do we have to tell you you're not a weapon Supey? Don't you remember your fight with Black Canary during training? Just because you're all bam and pow doesn't mean you're awesome already," said Kid easily, "Besides, you're not awesome until I say so dude, and that means you have to get a civilian life to figure out how awesome you can be."

Superboy glared at Kid, but it wasn't out of anger. He just didn't know how to react to such words. Nobody really tried to take chances with him like that, or encourage him to do much outside of the Mountain. M'gann wanted to explore, but that was more her own curiosity. Nobody told Superboy to explore, and the one time he'd gone to Metropolis, Superman had shown up, looked at him, and flown away. He didn't know how to deal with Kid's easy going acceptance that he was supposed to be normal, that he wasn't a weapon. It was hard to grasp, even if he'd left Cadmus long ago to most people. It had only been a few days, only a month at most. It was hard to reject the old teachings, and he knew the others saw him like that still. Even M'gann was uncertain around him, not that he didn't deserve it when he yelled at her.

Kid ignored his glare as he screwed in the last bolt, and then, once again, he hoisted himself up onto the shelf, acting nonchalant and perfectly okay. Superboy wasn't sure how to deal with that either. Most people got skittish, but Kid was easy about it, like this was perfectly normal. Was it normal? He never knew how to act normal and when he acted like he did, he wasn't sure if he was normal. So why did Kid act like he was normal even if he wasn't?

Kid lightly brushed Superboy's hand away from holding the shelf in place. This time, when Superboy let the shelf go, it didn't hold the one below , and Kid cried out as he fell forward. The clone immediately caught him before he fell on the ground. Instinctively however, Kid had adopted the basic fall position of his hands out to absorb the blow. His arms went straight around Superboy's neck, however, and Superboy got a face full of Kid's neck and collarbone, as Kid grappled to realize he'd been caught.

It was probably luck, and Kid's quick reflexes to grasp Superboy's shirt and lean backwards, and Superboy's own hands holding the boy away, that prevented the blow of Superboy's head from causing any injury to his collarbone. But the closeness of the situation meant that Superboy could feel and hear everything. Kid's heart was beating faster from the adrenalin of the situation, and he could hear the thrumming like that of a hummingbird. He could smell Kid, not the strange Robin-like smell, or that odd paint smell, but Kid himself, who smelled like honey, milk and something faintly chemical like bleach or detergent. The feel of the boy's neck was surprisingly soft in those few seconds he stayed put, much softer than Superboy's own skin, or so he figured.

"Gah! Sorry Supey!" said Wally immediately, not more than three or four seconds later. He drew his hands back from around the clone, and pushing off of the clone to separate them, making Superboy feel strange.

"Nice one Kid Fat," said a voice, and Wally turned as Superboy dropped him, to stick his tongue out at Robin, who cackled as he came over to see the shelf. Superboy went silent, and stepped backwards a bit. He felt odd, and he didn't know what this meant. His heart was thumping, and that wasn't a normal reaction. Another thing to learn about, which was even more frustrating. Normally he could rely on his body if nothing else, not even his own mind. But that was gone now.  _Great._

"Couldn't you have just asked Superboy to press a hand down lightly on the shelf?" asked Robin with a raised eye-brow at his little brother, who reacted by crossing his arms and pouting.

"What if the souvenir is heavy?" whined Kid Flash, "Like weighs as much as me? Besides, how was I supposed to know it would fall?"

"Just be grateful Supey caught you," said Robin, flicking Kid in the forehead before he went to adjust the bolts and screw it in correctly, "And stop trying to cheat by using your speed. This bolt is bent. And Supey, don't knock down the civilian life until you've tried it."

"A civilian life sounds like fun," said M'gann immediately, and Superboy crossed his arms in his sulking pose, which was his go-to defense mechanism, and luckily threw everyone off from realizing his newest concerns he wasn't quite ready to share, "And high-school sounds so exciting! Uncle J'onn mentioned to me that I'd have to join one, so I was planning on becoming a cheerleader! Do you think I'd make the team?"

"You'd make a great cheerleader sweet-cheeks," said Wally with a grin, "I'd want you cheering me on any day."

M'gann, as usual, missed the flirtatious under-tones in Wally's voice, as she thanked him. Robin accepted the bolt from Wally, and the conversation continued about civilian lives. Kid had noticed and argued that Kaldur didn't have to go to school, but the stoic leader calmly replied that while they'd be in school, Kaldur would tend to his duties of the ocean with Aquaman and scouring coasts, as his education was largely his apprenticeship to the King. Kid hadn't been satisfied. Luckily, the disaster of an argument breaking out was staved off when Kid's stomach rumbled, and M'gann decided they'd break for lunch.

Nobody minded the distressed and sullen clone's presence as he hefted shelves and stayed very quiet. Nobody even noticed the deliberate distance he put between Kid and himself as he moved to assist Robin.

* * *

After lunch, the team went back to the souvenir room. As the shelves came up, M'gann suggested a wall of photos. That meant she got a camera out, and began to take their pictures as they built the room. Wally enjoyed taking the silly pictures, as he raced around the room and struck poses beside the stiff Superboy, the stoic Kaldur'ahm, and the busy-at-work Robin. While Wally wanted to help his brother with setting the security codes up, he knew he wasn't supposed to. Batman had strictly forbidden him from using any skills involving computer-tech. The overlap to Robin's style of hacking would be noticeable, especially since the two had built their viruses and programs together.

"Y'know, it's too bad we never got a souvenir from Cadmus," said Robin with a glance around the room. Wally had placed all the souvenirs in the wall case with pride, making sure to clean each one neatly. The arrow, however, was placed in the tower-case, because it was Speedy's.

"Yes, it is a pity," said Kaldur with a nod.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Wally, his eyebrows raised, "We got our best souvenir from Cadmus!"

"What?" asked Superboy, as confused as the others, and speaking for the first time since the _incident,_  as he now mentally referred it.

"We got Supey of course!" said Wally, throwing an arm around the clone. His height, however, made that difficult to do so, but the message came across just fine.

And with those words, Superboy found his heart doing that pitter-patter thing that needed to be studied.


	16. Artemis and Archers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is introduced to Artemis. Wally is displeased.

With super-speed, super-strength, levitation, and hacker-tech, the room hadn't taken too long to set up the souvenir room. Nonetheless, it was too late to go to the beach now, since it was close to early evening. The room hadn't taken all day as they'd expected, but with the clock striking four, everyone knew Robin and Kid would have to leave at their respective curfews of six or seven depending on their patrol schedules, unless they got a mission. It was more amazing how quick the room was set up. 

“Race you to the pool!” cried Wally, super-speeding out before anyone could stop him, literally seconds after the decision was made. 

Unfortunately, as he sped off and changed into his swim trunks, the alarm signifying a meeting went off. Kid scowled, wondering if it was Black Canary or Batman. He cheered up at the idea of showing off the souvenir room, and without a thought to change, raced ahead to meet the mentor. It wasn't the alarm for a mission brief, so he wasn't worried about his outfit choice. Likewise, team-mates had been called to the briefing room. They, however, hadn't had the good sense to change into their swimwear, or the speed to do so. Not even M'gann with her body-morphing tricks. And it was commented on, unfortunately. 

“Nice shorts, Baywatch,” said the blonde, standing in the middle of the room.

Wally glared at her from behind his glasses. She was dressed in green, with her blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail. The cut-outs of her mask revealed brown eyes that looked decidedly unimpressed. She was taller to him ( _not fair!-He was still the shortest!_ ) and most likely older as well. From the arrow on her shirt, and the fact that Green Arrow was standing beside her, Wally managed to deduce exactly what _she_  was. And he was  _not_  pleased. 

“You did not replace Speedy with  _her_!” said Wally angrily, turning on Ollie with a pout.

“I thought you said this team was for teens, not toddlers,” said Artemis casually, and Wally spluttered.

“Toddler- You- I'm thirteen!” he whined angrily, “And we don't need you on our team!”

“Could have fooled me,” said Artemis with a scowl, “Are you sure you aren't ten?”

“Doesn't take much to fool a blonde,” said Kid Flash with a scowl.

“Enough,” said Batman, and Wally was scowling angrily at the- the-  _Replacement!_ You didn't replace your partner that easily! Well, Batman did, but that was different. They were his sons! Ollie didn't have a daughter! This was some fake he'd plucked off the streets to be Roy's replacement. Didn't he care that Wally and the team were trying to mend things with Roy and now he was just adding another unwanted addition to the group as though she could take Roy's spot? 

“Kid Flash, Artemis, Artemis, Kid Flash,” said Ollie easily, not even looking guilty! “Artemis is my niece. And with that, Bats and I will leave you guys to get acquainted.”

The two older heroes nodded to the team, and headed out of the room via zeta-beams. Wally glowered at the back of his father's cape, grateful for the glasses hiding his glare. He was so mad! How could his dad just let this chick on the team? Ollie was irresponsible and went with the flow, but dad? He didn't do stupid things! They didn't even know her! And Ollie definitely didn't have nieces! Oh he was so hacking her files as soon as they got home tonight.

“What kind of hero name is Artemis?” asked Wally spitefully.

“You wouldn't understand,  _Kid_ ,” said Artemis, and he glowered back at her.

“Okay already, break it up you two,” said Robin, “Kid, be nice. Artemis, leave him alone.”

Wally's jaw dropped as he stared at his older brother. How could he be so- so- blase? This was a  _replacement_  Speedy! She had taken Speedy's place on the team! How could he just act like it was okay? It was most definitely _not okay_  at all! They didn't know her! And Roy- Roy was their best friend and brother from another hero-that-wasn't-a-bat-mother! How could he just turn his back on Roy like that?! 

“She saved us from Amazo, it was her arrow,” said Robin quietly to him, acting all superior and _mature_. 

“Lucky shot,” said Wally with a scowl.

“Be nice, this could be asterous,” said Robin, sounding amused, “Besides, we needed a long-range attack specialist, and an archer works. Not like Speedy wanted to join the team anyways, right?”

“But- He's Speedy! He's so much cooler than  _her,_ ” hissed Kid Flash, “Besides, how do we know we can trust her?”

M'gann had already taken her aside. Superboy and Kaldur'ahm were talking to her, and then- she hit on Supey! Wally glowered at her even harder. Who did she think she was taking advantage of the naive Superboy? Besides, M'gann liked him way more then  _she_  did and M'gann was way nicer! Yes, if Supey was going to have a girlfriend it should be nice and kind M'gann, not that- that-  _replacement_! Wally was tempted to run to the nearest church and grab some holy-water to sprinkle on the demon-women. He was  _not_  happy.

* * *

 

As if on cue, Speedy had arrived almost minutes after their introduction. He went by Red Arrow now, and Wally had been thrilled to see him. He'd almost tackled Red Arrow, however, the older boy was prepared and merely side-stepped out of the way. After that, he'd begged him to join the team again. Of course, Roy declined with a derisive snort except it wasn't a snort so much as a huff or growl because this is Roy and he doesn't snort (It was totally a snort). 

And then they'd had their mission. That's when Cheshire hit him and Wally went flying backwards. Wally hadn't had much experience fighting the League of Shadows, beyond once or twice when Talia had attacked the manor as some sort of training thing for Damian (She had weird notions of being a good mommy). The assassin had got the drop on him when she'd appeared from behind, and while he'd managed to land a good hit on her shoulder, she'd knocked him unconscious and sent him flying into the pool.

When he came to, Miss Martian was hovering over him. He blushed brightly when he realized she was giving him CPR. Her mouth was soft on his lips, as she blew air into his mouth. He could feel her hands and body pressed in places that theoretically shouldn't let heat into his body, and Martians had a lower body temperature than the average human, but this was weird because M'gann's lips were on his and it was supposed to be CPR except her lips were on his and it felt warm and not medical and ohgodshewas-  _kissing him_! 

After that, Kid had gotten up quickly, blushed furiously, and gone to take down Black Spider. He'd managed to take down the new assassin, narrowly avoiding getting trapped in his web. He'd used a few tricks he'd learnt in combat from Damian and Bruce to make sure the assassin was knocked out, before he tied him up using an elaborate knot technique, both for the practice, and because it was time consuming, required his attention and made sure he didn't think about hot alien babes kissing him. He was not  _traught_  about this, not at all. 

Back on the bio-ship to the mountain now, Wally wasn't sure how to face Miss M. Stupid puberty making him feel weird things. It wasn't M'gann's fault for the matter. He'd had CPR before, and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but that was different. He'd never gotten it from an attractive babe before. And the last time he'd gotten mouth-to-mouth was like, when he was ten or eleven and a rookie and James had experimented with his guns again. The dude giving him CPR was like, an adult and his wife was right there and he couldn't even remember it. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” asked Robin worriedly, as they made their way to zeta home and Kid hadn't said anything since the mission ended. 

“Tell you at home,” said Wally quietly, as the zeta roared up.

* * *

 

“Nothing like a heart-to-heart at three in the morning,” said Dick with a yawn, as he sat across from his little brother. The two were currently in Dick's room, in their pajamas. “So, what's up Walls?”

“I- I got knocked out by Cheshire, and then almost drowned,” said Wally quickly, and Dick shot up straight and said, “You  _what_?!”

“But Miss M gave me CPR so I came to,” said Wally, ignoring Dick's concern, “And when I became, y'know, conscious again, I realized Miss M was- kissing me and she was like on top and I think I could feel her boobs by my hand and it was weird Dick! Like really weird- and I know it was medical- but her boobs and lips and this is-I-whatamIsupposedtosay?!”

Dick blinked, trying to figure out how to respond to that. For one, he knew Wally was debating his sexuality at the moment. For two, the idea of Miss M kissing his little brother, even if she was a woman, wasn't a thought he liked. In fact, the mere idea made him feel uneasy. Wally was way too young to be dating or kissing or doing anything with anyone. Which was slightly hypocritical considering he'd been kissing and dating at thirteen, but still. That reminded him of the conversation he'd had with Bruce and he almost wanted to go drag his dad in here to deal with it. But Wally looked on the verge of vibrating in hysteria, so Dick did the next best thing. 

“That's- I- Er- You- What?" He stammered, his own head dizzy.  

“I know,” said Wally miserably, “I should be happy that my first kiss was with a babe- She and Kori could totally start an alien babe calendar because seriously what do they feed them in space- but it wasn't a first kiss because she was only doing it to save me but it felt like a kiss. And worse, I'm not even happy about it because all I can think of is that it didn't do anything.  I mean- I didn't feel that thing you're supposed to when you kiss someone. It was just- like someone giving me CPR but with lots more lip action and I think there was some spit and there was  _definitely_  boobs on my arm.”

Dick was at a loss for words, as he tried to find the right thing to say in response to that. Wally was pouting, looking understandably upset. However, this was not Dick's forte. He wasn't the big brother you go to for meaningful advice. He was the fun brother. The brother who tells stories and plays games. Oh he was going to kill Bruce on patrol tomorrow. 

“Walls, she was  _just_  giving you CPR,” said Dick gently, “So that wasn't a kiss. And just because you didn't feel anything, doesn't mean it matters. When you do kiss someone, it'll feel like a kiss, and not CPR.”

“So- it wasn't because she was a girl?” asked Wally, looking worried.

Dick paused, and then, with out batting an eye, lied as he said, “What do you mean?”

Wally's jaw dropped a little, and then he turned pink. Finally, he opened his mouth and said, “ _IthinkIlikeguys_.”

“Now in normal talk,” said Dick with a sigh, even though he could guess what his brother had said. 

“I- I think I like guys,” said Wally, looking uneasy, “I mean- I'm not sure yet- but I- I think I might.”

“Well,” said Dick slowly, “I'm not the expert on how-to-know-if-you're-gay, but well, it was just CPR Wally. I think you're freaking out over nothing.”

Wally sighed, and then gave a short nod. He went quiet, and Dick struggled to find something to cheer him up. Quickly, he said, “Now let's have a race. First person to hack into the file on Artemis wins!”

“I hate her!” said Wally firmly, but he had already grabbed his and Dick's laptops. Dick was so relieved to be doing something normal that he almost forgot to send Bruce an angrily worded email. He used the generic template Damian had made when he was younger, and filled in the subject line 'The Talk with Wally' before he clicked send. Within seconds, Wally and Dick were clicking away at the keys to hack into the Bat-Cave's files.

“Found it!” said Dick, crowing.

“Not fair! You used a program,” said Wally with a scowl, “I would have won.”

“Please, you were so speed-typing,” said Dick with a snort, “Now c'mon.”

The two read the file in silence, and then Wally scowled as he said- “She's getting a scholarship to Gotham Academy? Ew!”

“That means we'll have to be extra vigilant,” said Dick with a grimace, “She'd probably be able to guess our identities from there if we're too close, even with the extra precautions Bruce has in place.”

“Does that mean you won't be able to hang out with me this year? But we were going to be in the same campus again!” said Wally with a pout.

“We'll still hang out,” said Dick, ruffling his hair, “But we'll have to be careful.”

The two continued to read, Wally cursing Artemis under his breath. Then they both stopped, their hands lifting up from the keyboard at the same time.

“She's Cheshire's sister! I almost died thanks to that assassin!” scowled Wally, “And her mom and dad were villains! We so cannot trust her! Her sister almost killed me today! How could dad put her on the team with that family!?”

“Her mom's retired, and you're not dead because M'gann saved your ass,” said Dick, though he looked a bit uneasy as well.

“She's a villain!” argued Wally, “She's probably a spy for her dad! We have to warn everyone!”

“You will do no such thing,” said the impossibly scarily deep voice of the Batman, as he glared at both his sons from the doorway. Bruce Wayne was dressed in his silk blue pajamas, having just come up from the Bat-Cave. He'd heard his sons voices, and once he'd determined what they were doing, he was beginning to regret ever letting his sons learn computer codes. He ignored the pointed look Dick was giving him- it was too early to decipher what he'd done wrong this time- and instead focused on scorching his sons with a glare. They were in the wrong for even looking those files up. 

“Crap,” muttered Wally.

* * *

 

After a long conversation with an angry Batman (who was trying to hide his pride at being paranoid about team mates), Kid and Robin had agreed to not breathe a word about Artemis's origins to anyone until such time that she was ready. Nonetheless, the next night while Batman and Robin were on patrol, Wally ran to Star City. 

He made his way up the steps of a creaky apartment building. The walls were worn and old, with cracks chipping away in the dry wall. The building was a good ten stories, with no working elevator. The neighborhood was old and dingy, with most buildings carrying on with a similar appearance. As he got upstairs, he reached the apartment number 404. He glanced at the door with chipped paint and a knob that was hanging off slightly. Wally was baffled as he stared at it. It was only the fact that Wally knew Roy probably came in from the window that prevented him from taking out a screwdriver and trying to fix it himself. Roy probably could fix it, but he was lazy when it came to taking care of himself. 

Instead, Kid began knocking. He was half-way through speed-knocking the Batman theme song he and Robin had come up with back when they were younger and waiting for the days they'd be heroes, when the door opened, and an angry, disheveled looking Roy glanced down at him.

“I gave you my apartment address so you could come in case of emergency,” said Roy irritably, “Not so that you could stop by for a play-date.”

Wally pushed past Roy, ignoring his words, and instead glanced around the studio apartment. The kitchenette was a garish blue and yellow theme. The apartment was carpeted in an icy blue shade that looked like it had been popular in the sixties or seventies. The walls were a light yellow. The paint on the walls was chipping off, and the furniture in the place was the only thing remotely Roy-ish with it's black and brown shades that looked out of place.

“What the hell is this? A hippie hideaway?” asked Wally, gesturing wildly to the apartment.

“Cheap rent,” said Roy with a sigh, “Now what do you want little Wayne?”

Wally pushed his sun-glasses up, which ruffled his red hair and revealed the green eyes that were wide and concerned behind them. He glanced over at Roy, and then in his super-serious Batman voice said, “We need to talk.”

Usually, people would look at his dad and get all serious and worried and ask what's wrong. Roy, however, just raised and eyebrow at him and said, “So talk.”

Wally scowled, and crossed his arms as he said, “You _need_  to join the team.”

“No,” said Roy firmly, “We've talked about this-

“You don't get it! Green Arrow's 'niece' is a fake!” said Wally angrily, “She's evil!”

Roy sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose before he glared at Wally and said, “Let's not talk about my  _replacement._ ”

“She's evil Roy! She's tricked GA and Batman!” said Wally, twitching as he tried to find a way around his promise with his dad so that he could tell Roy, “I think she's an assassin!”

Roy just looked at him with those serious blue eyes, unimpressed. Instead, Roy pointed to the couch, and obediently Wally flopped down, pushing aside Roy's pillow and blanket that were a serious brown and didn't match the apartment's bold themes, and stared up at the older boy.

“First of all, I don't care if she tricked Ollie,” said Roy, scowling darkly about it, “He deserves whatever he's got coming. And I'm not joining the team Walls. I'm doing good work on my own.”

Wally pouted, as he looked up at Roy and said, “But- But she could be a sleeper agent out to destroy the League! We need you so that  _she_  goes away!”

Roy sighed, and ruffled Wally's hair like he was just a kid! Then he said, “So keep an eye on her. If it's really bothering you, hack the League files and tell me what's wrong.”

“I already did!” said Wally angrily, “And I promised dad I wouldn't say anything! That's why you need to join the team.”

Roy didn't even blink as he said, “Well, it doesn't matter. Look, I have to prove myself on my own or their always treat me like I'm just a kid. But if it's really bothering you, then keep an eye on her yourself. If you think she's going to go rogue, call me. Here.”

Roy pulled out a comm from his pocket, and tossed it at Wally. The boy caught it easily, and glanced curiously up at his friend.

“It's a two-way, you'll be patched straight through to me,” said Roy warmly. “Okay?”

“Okay,” said Wally with a sigh.


	17. Bruce's Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce laments how fast his children grew.

  Bruce Wayne was not a coward. He was the Batman. Ruler of the night, protector of Gotham, master of the shadows, the only man who could strike fear into the hearts of all the Gotham Rogues, mob bosses and cops with one look. When he wasn't out being the Batman, he was Bruce Wayne, the owner and CEO of Wayne Enterprises, the man who ran his family company to global success (even if he wasn't credited for it) and had six children, four who had already moved out of the house and were living semi-adjusted, somewhat well-balanced (depending on who you asked) lives.

So it was understandable that he had a few weaknesses. Not weaknesses. Never weaknesses. He refused to put his children in a place called weakness. They were his strengths. The reason he made it home every night through hell or high waters just to make sure they were all in bed, and not having nightmares. Of course, he couldn't quite do that anymore with all his children.

Four children had already moved out of the house.

With Damian, it had been a long time coming. Bruce had known the minute Damian laid eyes on Tim that his eldest would never quite forgive him for bringing a second child into the fold so soon after Damian's introduction to Batman and Gotham. He knew that Redbird was a temporary mantle that Damian had only taken on for a few years, mostly to please Bruce's own sense of guardianship as he partnered with Batman and they did the father-bonding thing by beating the crap out of the villains in Gotham.

To be fair, it wasn't Tim's fault that Damian had left the house. Damian had always been a wilful child, and Talia had raised him for a longer time than Bruce had known of his existence. While Damian's friendship with Colin had started to sweeten the boy's temper, a fact that Bruce thanked Colin wholeheartedly for and made sure that no matter what happened, Colin was always in prime health to keep Damian centred, Bruce was not good for his eldest. They were too alike in all the wrong ways. Damian and Bruce. They rubbed each other the wrong way and Tim had taken to Bruce in all the ways Damian hadn't.

So Bruce had done the natural, easy, and reckless thing a young father does. He had tended to gravitate to Tim, to avoid the inevitable arguments with Damian. And Tim, sweet Tim, had always made Bruce feel like a good parent, like he could be a good father, and made his headaches go away. Tim and he were alike in all the right ways. Tim was a kindred spirit.

Which lead to Jason. To be fair, Jason had had no where to go once the tires were off the Batmobile. And Jason, for all his roughness, was actually a good kid. But it was Damian all over again. And said teenager and he were having arguments every other week or so. Jason was a volatile, unplanned addition that lead to Tim's resentment and Jason's own resentment at being put in a powder keg of tempers. And while Alfred, lord bless Alfred, had managed to maintain peace, seven months and Bruce Wayne was on the cover of the tabloids because CPS was doing a formal investigation on his parenting.

He'd barely scraped out of that mess.

So he did the next fatal-but-not-entirely-a-mistake decision of his life. Much like his impulsive behaviour to take Tim in after he witnessed the murder of his father, so shortly after losing his mother, and despite his stepmother Dana's willingness to take the boy (once she was cured of the depression she was being treated for), and his reckless decision that parenting Jason would be as easy as parenting Tim and he'd manage to save the boy from becoming a crook, which lead to the house almost burning down, he decided he needed a break. So he left the house to go on a nice, relaxing mission chasing down an assassin linked to several high-profile Gotham murders in the snowy hills of the Himalayas. He left without a note. Alfred had almost disowned him for that incident.

But he'd returned with the key to their survival as a family. Cass had been like an angel. Having grown up in a violent life, the girl was quick to resent violence at home. Like a silent shadow, she'd intervene in arguments, flipping over the aggressor and leaving the room before anyone could challenge her. And more than that, her inability to comprehend any spoken language lead to the boys doting on her, teaching her, and wishing to devote themselves to her. And the added bonus that she could read body language lead to more than one argument being ended because she intervened.

As the situation improved, Bruce made the decision to celebrate. He took the family to Haly's circus, where Tim bonded with the youngest acrobat, Dick Grayson, or the Grayson troupe. And then there was the murder. His children were understandably shaken up, but Bruce was even more horrified. He saw himself in the four year old.

Which lead to Dick, traumatized like all his sons before him, to be placed into his care. And over time, as Dick healed, he brought the tenderness and happiness that Cass couldn't bring because she was too silent. He brought the laughter. And the family was perfect.

Or so he thought. Wally added the final balance to their rag tag group of misfits. He was unlike the others, young and innocent and craving love. To the point where unlike Dick, who was still healing from loss, he sought affection. Dick hid inside himself, not ready to heal completely. Wally brought out the love that the family struggled to show.

Between his sons and daughter, Bruce was healed in ways he couldn't explain to anyone. But that didn't mean he was whole. And he wasn't ready to lose all of them just yet.

* * *

 

“So Tim was pretty upset,” said Dick conversationally, as patrol ended for the night. Tim had called in the morning ranting to Bruce about Wally's situation. His sexuality and puberty. All Bruce had been able to rationalize out of that situation was why the hell did the two hit at the same time? And why when Wally was so young?

Taking Bruce's silence in stride, he continued, “I was Wally's age when you gave me the 'Talk' about all that. Are you- I mean, when-

“I'll speak with him,” growled Bruce, as he began to unbuckle the Bat-suit off.

“But when? And what are you waiting for?” demanded Dick. Too much time with his younger brother and the Flash family had rid him of the art of silence.

“Soon,” grunted Bruce, not elaborating.

“I dare hope soon,” said Alfred as he entered, tea and sandwiches in a silver platter and a stern look upon Bruce's face, “The young master must be going through a terrible time, especially without any support or knowledge.”

“Schools do the mechanics, and Jason offered to show him the- er- internet,” chimed Dick easily, though he looked deliberately away from Alfred at the end of the sentence, while the older man pursed his lips, “So really all you have to do is give him the superhero guide to dating!”

Bruce twitched and his gauntlet fell from his hand. Both Alfred and Dick stared at him, as he picked it up and placed it into the locker. Dick removed his own tunic, as he tugged on his pajama shirt, trying to make sense of Bruce's reaction as he frowned.

“Bruce, you're not, I mean, are you- Is Wally being gay making you uncomfortable?” asked Dick nervously, “Because I'm pretty sure Damian will go back to being an assassin and murder you if you are.”

“No,” said Bruce shortly, “Go to bed.”

Dick threw a wide-eyed look at his father, but nodded as he walked away from the scene. His eyes were wide as Alfred set the tray down, making a deliberate noise, that chimed like an unholy bell in the Bat-Cave. The sign that there was going to be a long talk. He left before things got ugly.

“Master Bruce,” said Alfred, his lips in the thinnest of lines, “Was there a problem on patrol?”

Bruce winced, and settled himself into a chair, preparing for the inevitable words of wisdom that no matter how much he didn't want, were bestowed upon him regardless of his will. Alfred was pouring the tea.

“No problem,” said Bruce shortly, as Alfred thrust the cup into his hand. Bruce didn't even want tea. But he took the cup regardless.

“Then pray tell why you seem so on edge tonight,” ordered Alfred as he glanced down at the older man.

Bruce sighed, and sipped the tea, both unsurprised and pleased by the taste. It was hot and soothing on the muscles that were stretched during tonight's patrol, and calmed his heart as he tried to think about the matter.

“Do you ever think they're growing up too fast? I mean, Wally was three just yesterday, and now he's thirteen and thinking about- _sex_ ,” said Bruce, grimacing, “Damian's moved out of the house and is living a married life, Tim is in San Francisco and leading a team of heroes, Jason's out and doing his own thing, Cassandra went all the way to Hong Kong and she's working solo, and Dick is dating nowadays. When did they all grow up?”

Alfred's eyes softened, and he placed a friendly hand on Bruce's shoulder, “Children grow up fast, Master Bruce. But yours grew up well.”

Bruce looked up at Alfred, and nodded as the older man gave a small, sympathetic smile. He leaned back into his chair, as Alfred withdrew his arm. He ran a hand through his hair, as Alfred and he ate their meal in silence.

“Bruce,” began Alfred, interrupting the calm silence, “Do not try and keep your children as young and infantile or try and shield them. They need your guidance, now especially.”

“I know,” grunted Bruce, before pausing as he said, “I just wish it didn't have to be so soon.”  


	18. Cold Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Atom assigns the Team a case. Superboy struggles with new, scary symptoms. Wally has a falling out with Dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT MESSAGE HERE!
> 
> So, first off, again I missed an update day. And from the way my schedule has been, and will be, it's only going to get worse. So I'm nipping that problem in the bud. This weekend will have consecutive updates as per usual, and then, from Monday, I'm going to change to a Bi-Weekly update schedule for all my stories from LJ prompts. I haven't fixed which days yet, but I'm tossing it between Mondays and Fridays, or Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mondays and Fridays are more likely, but well, things change and such.
> 
> That being said, on holidays, such as Thanksgiving (Canadian one), Halloween, Christmas Break and such, if I have the time, I may post extra chapters or requests for scenes. I haven't forgotten about the request for the Wally-Kidnap story either, for those who are curious. But with the new system, it'll be delayed (mostly because I haven't even started writing it yet, but for it to fit into the grand scheme of the story and make sense, it won't be put in until after Gotham Academy's First day. I'm putting it in as like an omake/appropriate english word for that. So it won't be posted as a separate story, but it will be a break from the regular story, and most likely will debut around a holiday period. The next holiday is Canadian Thanksgiving in October, so plan for it then (Or sooner depending on my schedule- but with all the extracurriculars and stuff, I'm in school-mode from 6 AM- 5PM nearly every day, some days longer than that- so don't hold your breath).
> 
> Overall, the really long rant about time loss means two things. One, daily updates are no more, it's a bi-weekly system that has yet to be set. Wednesdays and Saturdays, or Mondays and Fridays (any preferences?). Two, around holidays, I can post requests for this series (i.e Wally being kidnapped and the bat-bros going nuts) and if you have any requests, make them now, but unless it's a really interesting request, I may not remember and might end up choosing something closer to the holiday time from requests there.

After the frustrating conversation with Roy, Wally resigned himself to keeping an eye on Artemis. Though he still absolutely hated her. She was a newbie! How could she get away with treating him like a child that didn't belong on the field? How could she get away with being all superior? How could she act like she belonged in Roy's spot on the team? He knew why everyone accepted her, and that made Wally even more furious. It should be Roy on the team, not her. At the very least, Wally took comfort from the fact that he knew her past. He knew she wasn't some hero. And at the end of the day, that's what mattered.

"You've got your Artemis-pout on," said Dick calmly, as he grabbed their sun-glasses from the shelves beside the Bat-Cave zeta tube.

"What?" asked Wally, a touch of annoyance in his voice as he let Dick fuss over the glasses. Wally was useless with them anyways, and Dick was much better with applying the spirit glue to the stems of the glasses and making sure they stuck to Wally's face than the speedster was. It was the reason why Wally had chosen goggles over the domino masks, despite his initial desire to have the similar mask to his brothers. He had zero patience to gently apply the spirit glue, and more often than not, got it stuck in his hair or rushed the process and caused a fire.

"You're thinking about Artemis," clarified Dick, as he came over and began to set the glassed on Wally's face, "Don't move."

"Am not!" said Wally with a touch of anger, his face twisted into a scowl as he glared at his brother. Dick moved the glasses to cover the green-eyed glare, a smirk on his face, but his own blue eyes hidden behind the impenetrable dark lenses.

"Are too," came Dick's bored reply, "I didn't take you as the type to like blonds."

Wally's scowl deepened as he shoved his older brother, who cackled and threw his arm around Wally's neck, and drew the smaller boy into a nougie. Wally elbowed Dick, without any speed.

"I don't like her," said Wally resolutely, "I hate her!"

"Right, you're batting for the other team," teased Dick, and Wally stilled.

The joking atmosphere had turned awkward, and Dick drew his hand away from Wally. Ever since the awkward confession from that night, neither brother had acknowledged Wally's struggles with his sexuality. Dick had wanted to bring it up at a family meeting, or in a heart to heart, not like this. Not in this positively awkward and horrifying way. But the words had just slipped from his mouth, and judging from the stark white appearance on his younger brother's face, he doubted the joke was appreciated. Not when Wally had no clue which team he was playing on. Not when Wally was afraid of both teams. Sometimes, Dick wondered if his brain hated him.

"I- I didn't mean it like that," said Dick firmly, reaching out to grab Wally's arm, but he miscalculated the distance and his hand fell limply in the air.

Dick never miscalculated the distance.

His brain was too fast for that.

Wally's brain was faster.

Wally had stepped out of the way just enough so that Dick looked stupid. So that he didn't have to touch his older brother.

Dick wanted to punch himself in the face.

"Yeah," said Wally quietly, finally responding. He wasn't smiling though, which meant the tenseness of the situation hadn't faded, "It's okay."

"Walls-

"We should go, Atom's teaching today," said Wally quickly, pretending that moment didn't exist. He'd learnt that trick from Bruce and Damian. Dick resolved to cut both Bruce and Damian out of Wally's life until his younger brother learnt healthier coping methods. "Don't want to be late for the drill-sergeant."

"Yeah," said Dick with a grin, and like that, the joking mood returned, as both brothers laughing made their way to the zeta-tubes.

Dick wondered mentally if maybe he should cut Bruce and Damian out of his own life too.

* * *

Superboy was not in the least bit interested in Captain Atom's lecture. The man was a soldier through and through, that much was clear. He had settled the group in front of a holographic black-board, demanding their attention with the air of a drill-sergeant. However, as soon as he'd gained their attention, he'd moved on to a long, boring lecture on undercover work, espionage and subterfuge. Atom was considered an expert on subterfuge by the Justice League, particularly since rumor had it that Atom had dealt with it personally during the Vietnam War. Or maybe it was World War One.

Superboy knew both wars quite well. The information about the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente and the Balkans political situation was all jumbled into his head. Idly he recalled the fact that the war was caused by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. It was with a scowl that the clone thought of the situation. Another fact that was stuffed in his mind, and that he couldn't understand. The Austrian Archduke hardly seemed popular enough to cause such a global crisis. There was something about Serbians with World War one, and Balkans. But facts made little sense in his mind, and they bored Superboy.

Instead, he considered the more pressing and concerning issue on hand.

Ever since the encounter with Kid Flash in the souvenir room, Superboy had been having strange symptoms. The scent he'd gotten from Kid Flash had lingered for days, and he could still recall it with care. He hardly even remembered what the shampoo Kaldur sometimes used when his preferred brand from Atlantis was over smelled like, and he got that scent that was entirely Kid Flash parading through his mind when he tried to clear the rage that sometimes overpowered him. Oddly enough, the rage went away.

Superboy had thought about asking Kid Flash about the smell. However, talking to Kid was strange too. It was hard to express what was different, but there was something off. Kid smiled a lot, but now Superboy was worried about the smile. Kid was smiling weirdly today, like something had bothered him before coming. His tongue would dart out and lick his lower lip until it glistened a moist, pale pink. Now, Superboy was very concerned about the reason why he could identify the pink, why it darted in his mind beside the strange smell of Kid Flash, and why the pink identified itself within his mind as a precise shade of coral pink.

He was more concerned about why Kid kept repeating the action.

He was even more concerned about the fact that this action made his heart beat faster and the slight dehydration that accompanied it.

Programmed as a weapon, Superboy was very positive that these symptoms were not normal to his body. He'd grown up to be perfect. His body was a tool that could be regulated at his own will. On days when the world was scary and he feared leaving the comfort of the closet in his room, he reminded himself that his body was the same. His body would never change on him. He'd never wake up and find out that life was a lie. That Cadmus hadn't trained him wrong. That he still had control, that he still had choice. His body was his to control, not Cadmus's, not the League's, and certainly not Kid Flash's. He didn't like this helpless feeling. It was a new, scary feeling and he wanted to hide in his closet and never come out because the world was big and scary and the one person he craved more than anything to help him through it all wasn't anywhere near his life.

But he was a weapon. A fearless weapon that was only going through a strange moment. It would pass. He'd be normal soon. In the meantime, he could handle the world, and feelings and Kid Flash's lips and smell. He'd be okay. He'd get through this.

* * *

"Am I boring you?" asked Captain Atom, staring at the group of kids who had all zoned out during his lecture.

Robin and Kid Flash were trained in the art of subterfuge from the Batman. Of course, Robin had more experience, but once in a while Kid got to help in undercover Gotham missions where he had to pretend to be a child to gather information. Kaldur was trying hard to pay attention, but even his boredom was evident as he kept tapping his pen and nodding off. M'gann was braiding Artemis's hair, apparently fascinated with the challenge a braid presented when done manually rather then merely made from a thought. Worse still, somehow, they were friends now. And Superboy was straight up staring at a wall with a clenched fist. Kid Flash idly wondered what that meant.

"Well," said Robin, looking sheepish but-not-really. It was a look he had down to an art.

"Fine then, let's do a hands on lesson," said Captain Atom, looking strictly at the team. He began typing into the computer, and pulled up the screen displaying the files of a military officer. "This is Captain Nathaniel Adams, part of the United States Air Force. Convicted in 1968 of murdering air force General Clemant Lemar, Adams died in prison. But I've received a reliable tip he was framed. Your job is to find out if he was."

"Sweet," said Kid, grinning at the team, who looked considerably more enthused.

"Downloading the case files to our phones as we speak," said Robin with a nod.

Captain Atom left as they began to review the data of the trial. Each person read at their own pace, slowly going over the information. The giddy excitement at finally having another mission overtook all of them. There was nothing more fabulous then actually being at work.

"Robin," said Kaldur suddenly, "I believe you have more experience with espionage then myself, how would you operate this mission?"

Everyone went quiet. It was no secret that Robin was supposed to lead the team, and that it ended disastrously. Even Artemis knew, and was the newbie. For Kaldur to ask Rob a question like that, it meant that he still trusted Rob as a leader, even if Dick didn't quite trust himself. Kid beamed at his flustered looking older brother.

"Uh- well- We need to interview the jury members," said Robin with a hesitant nod, "And the judges. Anyone who knew Captain Adams would be helpful to get a better idea of what exactly went down for him to commit the murder."

"How would you recommend going about it?" asked Kaldur, and Robin suddenly stiffened up, confidence retaking his features, as if he hadn't had a lapse of faith.

"Well, the most important people to interview would be to interview the defence counsel, Henry Yarrow, as well as the Judge, General Wade Eiling. It would also be good to get an idea of his character," said Robin as he glanced at the files, "Interviewing his family would give us an idea of whether he was framed or not. After all, this is a cold case, which means that our most reliable sources are the people who witnessed the case, and people are biased when it comes to facts after such a long time, their memories are unreliable."

"Then how should we split up? From the case files, it shows that Yarrow is currently retired and lives in Vegas. Eiling is at the Pentagon," said Artemis casually.

"I'll look up their current whereabouts on my computer," said Robin, and a minute later, "Alright, Yarrow's a frequent visitor to the Red Rock Country Club in Vegas, Eiling is almost always at work, and Adam's children are in Hawaii on a family vacation. From that, I think we should send Kaldur and Artemis to interview Yarrow, while M'gann and myself interview Eiling."

"So me and Supey get the family?" asked Kid, sounding a bit put-out.

"You're too young to enter a country club and approach an old man about a case he should know nothing about, whereas Artemis and Kaldur can most likely pose believably as college students looking up information about an old controversial case," explained Robin, "Meanwhile, Miss M's camo abilities make her the most reliable to sneak into the Pentagon to gather information from Eiling. I'll go as her back-up, so that she's not lost. That leaves you two to the family."

"Alright, then shall we be on our way?" asked Kaldur.

* * *

Meeting with the Adams children was awkward, to say the least. Superboy was stiff, and Wally young. The two heroes sat in front of two grown adults, one angry man and one eager woman. Wally sat up straighter, feeling a bit ticked off at Robin. He could have gone with Miss M to the pentagon, or interviewed Yarrow. He knew why Robin had sent him here. The least threatening situation. After their awkward moment in the Bat-Cave, and the even more awkward 'coming-out-but-not-really', Robin had started babying him. And Kid was not pleased, even if he smiled politely, and then licked off the drop of water on his lower lip.

"We wanted to ask you some questions about your father, Nathaniel Adams," began Wally, as Superboy sat quietly and observed the situation impassively.

"As far as I'm concerned, Nathaniel Adams is not my father," said Randy Eiling angrily, "I want nothing to do with him! Wade Eiling is the only man I consider as my dad. Blood has nothing to do with it!"

"Our mother never thought he was guilty!" argued Peggy Eiling, "And I don't believe it either."

Well, they were talkative and cooperative. That was always a plus. Wally dived right in, as Superboy remained quiet and observant. As the questions wrapped up, Wally thanked both Peggy and Randy for their time, and apologized for interrupting their mission. Peggy cooed and said it was quite alright, and then- ugh- she pinched his cheek. Superboy stiffened, most likely trying to ascertain if the action was a threat. He tended to do that with physical gestures that he wasn't sure about, but Wally smiled back at her as they walked away, so the clone relaxed.

His smile dropped once the two were out of hearing range and walking along the beach as he said, "Pinched my cheeks! How- I'm not a kid!"

"I know you're not a child," said Superboy, and Wally grinned at him, before frowning again, "Well, you're the only one who doesn't."

They walked in silence along the beach. The cool air breezed around them, and the scent of the salty sea filled their nostrils. The setting sun glowed over the blue-blue ocean. It was peaceful, calm, until finally Superboy awkwardly asked, "Why- Why does Randy not consider Adams as a father? He- He said blood doesn't have anything to do with parenting. Is that- I mean- Isn't blood important?"

Wally stopped, and stared at Superboy, a little startled. The clone was looking out at the sea, his expression confused and concerned. Wally stared at his friend, and sighed as he contemplated how he was feeling.

"Blood doesn't make a parent," said Wally firmly, "I know you're worried about Superman, but trust me, blood has nothing to do with family. It's the people who love you that are your family."

"You sound like you have experience with that," said Superboy after processing the words, a bit surprised, "Are- I mean- isn't your family the Flash-

"It's classified," said Kid apologetically, "But- you can keep a secret, right Supey?"

Superboy merely grunted in acknowledgement, so Kid grinned as he continued, "The Flash isn't my dad, like everyone thinks. He's just- the really best mentor I could ever have. My dad, he seems really gruff at first, and gloomy, but he's a really good guy underneath that all. He adopted me. I don't know where my biological parents are, or if they even know I exist. Sometimes, I've thought about looking for them, but, well, it doesn't always turn out like the movies. Trust me on that."

Superboy took that information in, a little shocked. He'd always assumed that Kid Flash's family was loving and kind, with the Flash for a father. To know that wasn't the case was a little astounding. He couldn't help but wonder if that meant he didn't need Superman as a father. But, Superman, he was the only like him in the universe. He was the only one who understood Conner. Who understood the struggle it was to open the refrigerator and have to make sure he never exerted even the tiniest bit of pressure. Was it so bad that he wanted a person to sympathize with him? To explain how to make the refrigerator open without having to think about the pressure he had to control?

"Hey," said Wally, bumping his shoulder to Superboy's, "Don't give up on Superman just yet. He's a good guy, even if he's being a jackass right now. He'll come around, just give him time. Normally a guy gets nine months to prepare himself for a kid."

"So I should wait nine months?" asked Superboy, a bit frustrated at the idea. Just a few weeks out of his pod seemed like forever. Nine months would be impossible!

"God no," said Kid with a chuckle, "Just, it'll happen when it happens."

Superboy nodded, and rubbed the back of his head. He looked over at Kid, and wondered what the boy was thinking. Uncertainly, he repeated the shoulder squeeze thing Robin had done the first time he'd met him. Kid looked up at him surprise, and Superboy felt a bit flustered as he tore his arm away, wondering if he'd done it wrong.

"You- Don't give up on your biological family either," said Superboy awkwardly, "I mean- You're a good person Kid, they'll like you. And- I like you too. So- Thanks."

Kid listened open-mouthed and surprised, before surprising Superboy. He threw his arms around the clone, and the older teen gaped as he found his arms full of red-headed speedster. The warmth exuding from the smaller body wrapped around the clone, and he could feel the angles of the boy's own frame. He could practically outline Kid's shape from the warmth touching him. Idly he remembered that police officers made chalk outlines of bodies at crime scenes. Superboy could probably trace a good chalk outline on his own body of where Kid Flash touched him from the way the other boy's heat scalded his own body. Uncertainly, he stood there, until Kid backed away, still grinning ear to ear. The grin was a bit infectious, and for the first time in days, Superboy returned it with a small, wobbly smile. He'd analyze the strange heart rhythm and the weird flutter in his gut later. Preferably in the medical bay.

"You're welcome Supey!" said Kid, grinning as he lead the two of them to the bio-ship, "And no problem! We'll work on the hugs later. You're supposed to hug back, but it's cool. C'mon, time to head back and solve that case. If Captain Adams turns out to be a good guy, then, well, maybe blood parents are worth the wait, okay?"

"Okay," said Superboy, as he followed Kid, the warmth where Kid had touched him still lingering on his body.


	19. Hot Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Case of Captain Adams continues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are finalized for every Monday and Friday. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the story!

General Trang was their next lead to the case of Captain Adams. Shirley Mason, one of the jurors at the trial, had been brutally murdered just hours ago. Miss Martian and Robin had found a picture at the late Major Mason's home depicting all the people who had been involved at the trial asides from General Eiling and Captain Adams. Trang had been one of the men on the photo.

Currently, they were outside General Trang's mansion. The night air was cool, and the mansion looked the part of nouveau rich, with it's exquisite marble statues, the luxurious colored tapestries inside gleaming windows, and exotic plants lining the walls and garden. Miss Martian and Robin had made their way to the manor upon identifying Trang through the photo-recognition software. Superboy and Kid Flash had come to assist, while Kaldur and Artemis remained back-up along the perimeter.

"There's someone with a sword speaking with Trang. He's called Rako," said Superboy to the mental link connecting the group.

"That's got to be the guy who killed Mason. She was bleeding out from gash wounds when they found her," said Artemis grimly, despite being at the exterior walls and unable to see what Superboy saw.

"Miss M, go in quietly," said Robin sternly, still leader of the group, "Use your camo and don't expose yourself until we determine if the swordsman is a threat to Trang or not. Superboy, cover her in case."

They waited in a tense silence as Miss M went to investigate the scenario. Kid Flash was the second-closest to the situation, besides Superboy. He waited for Robin's orders. There was a shout from Miss M in the link, and Wally immediately turned his infrared in the goggles on to peer through the thick walls. He had been stationed at a balcony with no way to see the scene, merely an eavesdropper and to help contain the situation should either try and escape. His goggles penetrated the walls, and soon Wally was watching the scene to determine what exactly was going on.

Rako had somehow detected Miss Martian! He watched Superboy burst in to cover M'gann. Rako was well trained, however, and immediately had his sword back from where M'gann threw it using her telekinesis. And he knew how to use it. As the man lunged and parried, Superboy was forced back to avoid taking hits, using his fists to try and regain control of the situation. But Rako knew how to extend the sword, and keep Superboy at bay.

Wally narrowed his eyes on the sword. He didn't like the confidence Rako had with it, not when facing a kryptonian. He began fiddling with the different modes on his goggles as he zoomed his vision to the sword, trying to determine the origin or powers manifested in the sword itself. No radiation, so there was no chance of red-sun radiation. No kryptonite either. Superboy should be fine- No! He watched in horror as the sword sliced into Superboy, a deep wound and the clone's blood sprung like a horrible fountain into the air. Immediately his feet began to move as he raced into the room to cover his friends.

Wally was grim as his fists struck into the armor of Rako's. The armor consisted of black plates, lined with gold. His helmet had a red visor covering his eyes, fairly similar in look to goggles. A red sash was wrapped around his waist. The suit was some kind of metal too, reminiscent of a samurai in the movies Wally had seen with his father. The metal wasn't hard enough to impact Wally's fists, however.

He dodged the sword by ducking and used the speed in his legs to knock the assassin down. However, the assassin was quick, and rolled to the side, on his knees and then springing back up, sword still in his hand. Wally needed to disarm him. Superboy and Miss M were both down and Robin was outside in some tree by the gates.

"You're well trained Flash-boy," said Rako, an unpleasant twist to the part of his face that could be seen under the medieval armour coupled with the goggles, "Not entirely what I'd expect from a Flash."

"Yeah, well, I'm kind of the coolest Kid Flash out there," said Wally with a grin, "And I'm full of talent. But first off, the goggles are copy-righted."

Wally lunged, his fist smashing into the lenses of Rako's goggles. The hit should have had enough force to propel the man backwards and knock him out. But Rako twisted, and the brunt of the blow missed the man and it was only the force that just barely clipped the goggles that caused the man's eyes to be revealed. Brown and dark and filled with rage.

The man flicked his wrist, a stern expression on his sullen face as he swung the sword slicing a horizontal crescent shape at Wally's side. He sped away, but the cut landed and it cut through the Kevlar padding and skin, landing deeper than Wally had assumed capable. He stumbled backwards, clutching his ribs. Any higher and that cut would have nicked a lung.

"I liked those goggles. I guess I'll have to take yours from your dead body," said the man, bringing his sword up to slash into Kid. The boy's eyes widened behind the goggles, and he stumbled further back. Into a wall. Shit.

"No!" called Miss M, and Wally gaped as the swordsman flew straight backwards into the air, the slash of his sword missing Kid's body by a few inches. Asterous.

The assassin twisted in the air, tossing a shuriken at Miss M, and she dropped him. He rolled, slower than before and headed out to the balcony. Kid grinned as he caught site of the man's gait. He definitely had a concussion, and if Kid wasn't trying to stop the bleeding in his side, he'd have whooped at landing a blow that good.

"Not so fast," said Robin, his cackles filling the air as he swung down, kicking Rako in the chest and propelling the man backwards. It was followed by a birdarang to his sword hand, knocking the weapon away and producing a cry of pain. M'gann lifted a rug from the floor and threw it over the man, causing the assassin to stumble backwards, as Robin strung his rope around the man tightly, tying him up with a zip-tie.

"Got you," said Robin with a dark smirk, and Kid really did cheer this time, bloody fists raised into the air.

* * *

The entire team reconvened, after sending Rako to the authorities in Metropolis. Robin had used his Batman-voice to get an interview with the assassin before he was locked up. When he'd come out, he was grinning a self-satisfied smirk on the bio ship. Kid had a feeling Robin had used his father's anger management type training on the man. He didn't question it, however, and merely grinned. Robin slung an arm around Kid as the two walked through Metropolis with the rest of the team, making horrible jokes and laughing with each other. The earlier comment was forgiven.

The team headed to a small diner in Metropolis to discuss the rest of their situation. Superboy was sulking over the sword and the fact that it had managed to cut through his skin and cause a serious wound. Kid Flash had taken it as a souvenir. The League had sent Zatara to look at it while Superboy and Kid Flash were being patched up in the medical bay. After confirming it was a magical artifact, the team had been sent on their way.

"Are you two alright, my friends?" asked Kaldur'ahm, as he opened the door to a small diner in an inconspicuous street in Metropolis called Bibbo's diner.

"Peachy," said Kid Flash, not lying at all. His cut hadn't damaged any major organs, and he'd be in tip-top condition within twenty-four hours. But he was starved. "Let's grab some food!"

The team settled themselves into a large booth, Kid Flash sandwiched between Robin and Kaldur'ahm, as Superboy sat sullenly beside M'gann across from Robin, with Artemis at the edge of the table.

"What can I get you guys?" asked a cheerful waitress, as she made eyes at Kaldur, Superboy and Robin. Kid tried not to grimace. She wore way too much make-up and reminded him of the floozies Bruce flirted with at galas.

"Water please for myself," said Kaldur kindly, as Artemis glowered at the girl. Obviously she had picked up on the fact that the girl had deliberately turned her back to Artemis to flirt with Kaldur.

"Just water? You sure?" she asked, thrusting her chest out.

"He's fine," said Artemis pointedly, "I'll have a coffee, black. Don't screw it up."

"A coffee here too," said Rob easily, pulling his phone out and not looking up, "Bring the cream and milk over."

"Two coffees," said the girl, as she gave Rob a seductive smile which looked weird on her face, "Anything else?"

"Nope," said Robin, as the girl tightened her hold on the pen. From the way she acted, Kid deduced she was probably popular with boys in Metropolis and wasn't used to rejection. Her eyes immediately turned to Superboy, and she brightened tremendously. Ah, she took him for a jock. So she was the cheerleader-type.

"What about you in the corner hon?" she simpered.

At this point, Kid was starting to feel bad for her. Conner was flat out ignoring her, and M'gann was too polite to step up and tell her to leave Conner to brood. He was really good at brooding. Like Batman good. Miss-peppy-cheerleader stood no chance to that brood.

"He'll have a slice of your apple pie," said Kid brightly, "In fact, so will Megan, you've never tried apple pie, right Megs?"

"Ah, no I haven't, it's good?" asked M'gann uncertainly, though a wide smile on her face as she accepted the proposal.

"Yeah," said Superboy, and Kid beamed at him, "I knew you loved it! Get him vanilla ice-cream with the pie, not whipped cream."

"Oh- Okay kid, and what can I get you?" asked the girl, taken aback by Wally's cheerful attitude. It seemed out of place among all the grown teenagers, though the red-headed girl could be his sister since she seemed all smiley as well. Maybe that's how he got in with this group of studs and the blonde bitch.

"I'll have your cheeseburger with fries, and two pieces of cheesecake and-

"He'll have the macaroni and cheese with fries," interrupted the dark-haired teen on the phone. He wasn't normally her type, but he had the build for a hot guy, even with the weird sun glasses. Come to think of it, the red-headed kid wore sun-glasses too. Idol worship?

"I wanted the burger!" said the kid, pouting at the older.

"You should eat something soft," said the boy with a shrug, "And the pasta platters here are pretty big. There's more pasta then burger."

"Fine," said the boy with a pout, before grinning back at the waitress, "The mac and cheese with fries, and bring over two- no three slices of cheesecake, one raspberry and two blueberry, beautiful."

Oh god. A table of studs and the one who hit on her was the kid. He was like, her brother's age. The girl grimaced, but hid it with a bright smile as she wrote all that down, "Great! I'll bring it over in a jiff."

With that, the waitress walked off, as Artemis glowered at her and muttered, "Self-absorbed bitch."

The team pulled out their cell-phones, all pretending to be engrossed in their screens as M'gann began carving the mental link between the six minds. Artemis, Kaldur and Robin were going over the case files, Miss M had her phone open to a picture of the team, Superboy's was open to the default page, and Wally was actually playing Fruit Ninja, grinning widely as he beat his high scores.

 _"We're all linked?"_  asked Robin as Miss M bridged their minds together.

 _"High score! Take that Rob!"_ crowed Kid Flash, as the waitress returned with the coffees and water, saving her dignity by not bothering to flirt.

 _"Do you think she spit in this?"_ asked Artemis, earning the confusion from the two aliens and the atlantean.

 _"Nope, I was watching her pour it,"_ said Robin easily.

 _"Why would she spit in it?"_ asked M'gann in confusion.

 _"Because Artemis made her seem stupid and waiters do that to people's food if they don't like them,"_  explained Wally,  _"Aw- I lost!"_

 _"She won't spit in our food, will she?"_  asked M'gann, uneasy.

 _"No way, how could she not be charmed by the Kid?"_  assured Wally, as Artemis rolled her eyes.

 _"_ _Let us focus on the case,"_  said Kaldur firmly,  _"Robin, what did Rako tell you?"_

 _"He told me he's a hired hand,"_  said Robin quickly,  _"He identified everyone on the picture correctly. He works for Alec Rois, did it as a favour for the man since he was one of Rako's teachers. That means that Rois is the mastermind behind the murders. Rako told me it was because of a smuggling ring they were using to smuggle weapons into Vietnam at the time for the North Vietnamese armies."_

 _"Isn't that treason?"_ asked Superboy, confused. He knew his facts, and he knew smuggling weapons was illegal. Especially to the other side during a war. Why would anyone want to smuggle weapons anyways? What was the purpose of it?

 _"It is, but it was to make a quick buck,"_  said Robin grimly,  _"From that, I followed the money. Yarrow, Polk, and Rois all made substantial fortunes by the end of the war. Money that didn't come from a soldier's salary and was deposited under various odd names or times. Whoever lead the ring was paying them well to work for them."_

 _"So why is he going after them now?"_  asked Artemis with a thoughtful scowl,  _"He knows we're probing into Lemar's murder, but if everyone on that picture was a part of this ring, then-_

 _"He's finishing off what he started,"_  surmised Kid, as he diced a melon and strawberry,  _"If everyone on the picture was a smuggler, one had to be a leader. Adams didn't know about the ring, or he found out and had to be cut off. But why was Lemar killed?"_

 _"Lemar must have done something to the leader,"_ mused Aqualad.

 _"So the leader is tying up loose ends. People who would have talked,"_  said Artemis with a nod.

 _"Exactly. Rako informed me that the leader of the ring was Yarrow. He framed Adams for the murder of Lemar. Lemar was killed because he tried to betray Yarrow,"_  continued Robin, sounding amused,  _"I e-mailed Captain Atom the written confession from the assassin. All that's left is to round up the loose ends."_

 _"Couldn't you have said that earlier instead of leaving us to figure it out on our own?"_  groused Artemis.

"Here's your food guys," said the waitress, placing the plates of desert, and the one of macaroni and fries, on the table. Kid Flash immediately put his phone down and began digging in, while Superboy and Miss Martian took tentative bites of their own deserts. Kid noted with amusement how Superboy ate the vanilla ice-cream first. Apparently he was a fan.

"This is good!" said M'gann beaming at Wally, who grinned back before diving his spoon into the mac and cheese.

 _"Then the rest of this mission is to arrest these guys,"_  said Kaldur with a nod to Robin.

 _"After they're done eating, we get to escort Yarrow, Rois and Polk to jail,"_ said Robin with a smirk.

* * *

Kid was put out as he waited in the bio-ship outside Polk's house. Apparently his injury was enough to put him out of commission for the rest of the mission. He got it, he did. Superboy just needed a few hours under a solar lamp for his innards to heal completely and return to being made of steel. And with Rako's sword out of the game, he was the Boy of Steel. Kid, on the other hand, was still healing up. Food helped, sure, but it wasn't a permanent fix. He needed time to recuperate.

Robin had told him to stay on the bio-ship as the two headed to arrest Polk. Artemis, Kaldur and Miss Martian were to arrest Yarrow since they were a larger group made up of people that hadn't suffered a major injury, and because they were all at the top of their game. Upon entering Polk's house with the arrest warrant, Robin reported back that he was missing. It looked as though he'd run off. Five minutes later, Kaldur claimed Yarrow was dead, but Rob asked for a blood or tissue sample.

* * *

The team had found Rois and Yarrow at an old, abandoned airbase after tracking Yarrow's GPS system. Idiot. Who took his car when faking his own death? The blood sample Kaldur got had connected to Polk not Yarrow. Polk, while bearing familiar resemblance to Yarrow, was not actually him and had been murdered as a connection to the trial and as a member of the smuggling ring. Yarrow and Rois hadn't realized the government now knew about the ring, and set up a trap for the team at the air base. They'd presumed they could kill the people questioning into the trial. Except they had forgotten the whole superhero thing tended to have an edge.

Worse still for the two, they had no clue Rako was arrested. The group had been waiting for Rako's arrival so they could slip away. With his magic sword, Rako was a pretty scary opponent. However, Rako never showed, and Rois and Yarrow were scared.

As soon as the team arrived, Yarrow confessed his guilt. With the claims of a mad man, Rois had appeared, with bombs strapped to his chest and a trigger in hand. He was going to kill everyone and get away with his crime. Before Rois could blow himself up, Miss Martian telekinetic ally prevented the man's finger from pressing the trigger. Artemis shot a foam arrow at him, trapping his hand and body in polyutherane foam. And more importantly, making sure that he wouldn't be able to cause an explosion.

In that time, Robin and Aqualad took down Yarrow. Aqualad used his water-bearers to create a whip to knock the gun Yarrow had on him away. Robin knocked the man out with a well-aimed jab at a pressure point. Fifteen minutes later, the cops arrived and escorted the men away, leaving a team of self-satisfied heroes to get on board the bio-ship and make plans for ice cream and a movie later that night.

* * *

"The money's been transferred to your account."

_"It had better all be there. I swear- the kid was going to kill me! And once Yarrow finds out I sold him out-_

"I paid you well, Rako. Take Rois and hide away kid. I already signed the permits to get both of you out without any questions asked, and made sure the trail doesn't lead back to me. Yarrow takes the blame for everything if they can't find you. As far as I'm concerned, what happened in 'Nam is done with and we all walked away richer men. Now if you excuse me, I have to go meet with my new best friend," said General Eiling as he hung up his phone, and smiled at the approaching figure and hung up his phone.

"I got to say, I really was hoping you'd turn out to be guilty Eiling," said the man as he slid into Eiling's car, "After everything that's happened, can you blame me? For what it's worth, I am sorry."

"Don't be," said Eiling, clapping the man on his shoulder, "I'd be pretty pissed off if it had been me, and I get it. I married your wife and took your kids after sentencing you to life in prison. I'd hate me too."

"Well, if you ever need anything Eiling, the League will cover it," said Captain Atom seriously, "And I'm sorry for hating you all these years, after you did so much for my family-

"Adams, you're a good man," said Eiling firmly, "Now suit up, let me introduce you to your kids."

"Thanks," replied Captain Atom with a sheepish grin, as Eiling revved the car up and began to drive.


	20. The Fate Fiasco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally and the team, minus Robin, head to the Tower of Fate to find Mr. Nelson and the Helmet of Fate. Unexpected complications arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally forgot to update here. This is actually two chapters but well, I bunched it together into one because I forgot- How can I be so stupid?? Anyways, there will be another chapter posted later today too!

It wasn't until five days passed that the team received their next mission. After the successes that the team had been having, Wally doubted they could lose anything at the moment. Wally hadn't been upset with this development in the slightest, no matter what Rob said about being cocky. However, the free time was grating on Wally. It meant he had to find something to occupy himself with. Thus, he'd taken the time out to prepare to go back to school.

Alfred was helping him with prep for English and History. Since this would be his first year of high school, Gotham Academy would finally offer electives, and Wally had managed to hack the school servers to ensure he got placed where he wanted. It was bad enough had been forced to quit gym, both to maintain his civilian identity's integrity, and to fit in the courses Bruce wanted him to take. He was taking Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Law and Computer Sciences on top of the regular course load of Math, English, Science, History and Geography. All his courses were Honors classes to top it off. If he wanted to stay patrolling Central, he'd have to ace his lessons. Uncle Barry had stranger laws than Batman, who always argued that they maintain averages in the top ten percent rather than top of the class, as to both ensure success in later endeavors while maintaining the secret identity.

Languages were the worst, in Wally's opinion. Everyone had a different way of saying things! Wally was pretty quick to pick up on the dialect and could easily by considered fluent when he spoke, but reading the words was torture. He was a speedster, and reading was one of those things that forced him to slow down,  _especially_  if he wanted to retain the information. He could speed-read, sure, but his brain hadn't been as affected by the experiment like his body. It just wasn't wired into all of his brain functions and that meant he never remembered a speed-read fact for long.

Thankfully, whenever there were lulls in his patrol schedule, Alfred would drag him into the kitchen with his school books. It bugged him sometimes that Dick never struggled in a subject. Teachers adored Dick. He was a genius, after all. There was no subject Dick struggled with, which was why he'd graduate early next year from high school at the tender age of sixteen, the youngest Wayne to graduate this early. Tim graduated at seventeen, but only because he'd taken a year of school to train across the world to become Robin. Wally, on the other hand, was a straight up Math and Science guy. He was too fidgety in his other classes where he didn't care about the subject matter. Only the Math and Science teachers adored him, the others would glance at him and shake their heads, wondering why he wasn't like Dick. No worries, he was aiming to pass high school by eighteen, he had plenty of time.

Unfortunately, time was also really _slow._  The last five days had been spent reading  _A Midsummer's Nights Dream_  with Alfred. Wally's teacher had a penchant of choosing that for the Shakespeare study, and Alfred was helping Wally learn the book. It was the worst Shakespearean novel Wally had read yet. Seriously. Magic. Ugh.

Wally wasn't a disbeliever in magic, he knew it existed. His dad had 'hired' Zatara to do magic shows for his sons birthday parties whenever a criminal escaped Arkham, or they received a threat. Zatara had performed at all of Damian's parties after Talia had decided to make an unannounced visit at his fourteenth, though she hadn't really done anything beyond make speeches and dance with Dad. Damian stopped having parties after he turned eighteen and Bruce and the media had no control over him, and opted to go on a vacation around that time to satisfy the paparazzi into writing stories to make their lifestyle seem lavish and rich like spoiled Wayne children.

But, birthday party magic was still awful, even if it was actually real. Wally didn't like magic. Magic was the worst thing on Earth, as far as Wally was concerned. It was a nuisance, didn't follow any of the normal rules and laws of nature (though magicians argued they had some rules. Wally didn't believe them) and worse still, it made all the hard work scientists did seem useless. Not to mention whenever a case involved magic, there wasn't much you could do but hope it wasn't bad while the specialist whipped up a cure. And that meant Wally was sidelined while his brothers went around Gotham doing their thing and he was stuck baking with Alfred and hoping nobody got banged up too badly.

At least with science he could make his way to the cave and be of real aid. He knew how to take apart poisons, he knew how to analyze evidence, he could spin circles around the average mechanic both literally and figuratively, and he was fairly good with codes that he could hack something for his family members (as long as he didn't go too quickly and break a key on the computer). He was  _useful_  then. Magic made him useless.

So when Red Tornado told them to go looking for the hermetical Helmet of Fate, Wally nearly gagged. And hermetical, totally a word. Something to do with the occult. It made Wally think of hermits. And whoever this Kent Nelson was, he lived in a mystical Tower of Fate. So he pretty much  _was_  a hermit. Jay Garrick said that Dr. Fate was a bit hermit-like too, and a bit of a stuck-up snob, but Kent was a decent enough guy. And something about a guy named Nab-you. Dr. Fate did something involving kidnapping? Oh well, Wally would figure it out eventually.

* * *

Ever since the start of the mission, Kid had been in a sour mood. Superboy wasn't exactly sure why the case was, but the younger boy had been sullen in the Bio Ship. Superboy had first chalked it up to Robin being on a private mission with Batman. Superboy didn't like the team being forced to work separately of a member either. However, when M'gann asked what the matter was (she was good at that. Superboy was still learning the exact uses and methods to empathy), he'd started complaining about magic.

"It's the  _worst!_  You can't do anything against magic," Wally had complained loudly, "And the rules with magic are all wonky and weird and it's the worst! I'd rather be off with Batman than be here. At least Rob likes magic."

"Why would Batman take  _you_  on a mission? His sidekick is Robin, not Kid Flash," said Artemis bluntly, "And if you're scared of some spells, then hide behind Superboy."

Kid Flash scowled fiercely, and crossed his arms. He stuck a tongue out at Artemis before glancing away. Nobody on the ship noticed the odd behavior. In fact, they seemed to strike it as normal. Superboy frowned. Was he imagining things, or had Kid looked, well, fiercer at that remark? Maybe he needed to observe people more. But Kid never reacted quite like that. He usually replied with a funny quip, or a strange quip that required further analysis for humor content.

"We are here," said Aqualad sternly, glancing at Artemis and Kid Flash, his reaction whenever he wanted them to behave. Robin was better at it, Kid seemed to listen to him, and Artemis mostly ignored Kid during a mission anyways so unless provoked, the situation was better handled if Kid was controlled.

Superboy had stalked out of the plane with the others, who seemed pretty intent to find the tower quickly. However, he wasn't sure if he was eager for this mission. His last mission had involved a magical sword, and that had caused him injury. And he was in no mood to repeat that sensation of his flesh being cut into. He could still feel the place where the blade had dug into his skin, causing him to _bleed_. The magic causing him to be vulnerable was off-putting. He couldn't be vulnerable. Then the team had no one to take the heavy hits.

"Supey?" asked Kid Flash, sidling towards him as the others went ahead, "What's up?"

A small smile graced Superboy's lips. Kid always sought him out, and for reasons the clone couldn't comprehend. He seemed to find Superboy's company enjoyable, even if most others thought he was sullen, especially when he was difficult, and yet, Kid made it a point to find him when he was behaving his most aggressive or annoyed. The others didn't quite know how to behave around him, always being careful not to prod the wrong thing, always attempting to make him comfortable. Kid was merely himself, and it was refreshing to be with someone who wasn't scared of him. And the strange heart reaction didn't occur so long as Kid didn't touch him. Therefore, Superboy was content to pretend that Kid's presence was alright and manageable. After all, he was a weapon. If Kid turned out to be a threat, then he could always dispose of Kid. Even if that made his jaw clench.

"I want this mission to be over," confessed the clone quietly, "I don't think I like magic."

Kid looked solemnly at him, and said, "Wise man. Magic, my friend, is a pain in the ass."

"It hurts me," continued Superboy with a scowl, "I don't like being hurt."

"Everyone gets hurt," said Kid with a shrug, "But yeah, a little less pain goes a long way in the grand scheme of it all."

"The pain doesn't matter," said Superboy in surprise, "I don't like being hurt because then that leaves all of you to get hurt."

Kid gaped at Superboy, and the clone shifted uneasily. The others had moved ahead to look around, leaving Kid and Superboy alone. The younger boy scowled up at the other, and gave him a look of irritation. Superboy shifted uncomfortably. Kid never looked at him in anger. His heart was pounding in his chest, but it wasn't that uncomfortable ache from before that felt kind of nice when he stopped to analyze the reaction in a calmer environment. This was squeezing the organ, making breathing difficult, and anger bubble inside of him.

"We're your team," said Kid sternly, "If you get hurt, we have to protect you, and vice versa. Don't make yourself a sacrifice for us! That's not cool Supey."

Superboy didn't understand any of what that meant. It went in as mumbled jargon and he couldn't comprehend the subject matter. He stared at Kid, who was looking expectantly at him. He couldn't understand what Kid meant by being a sacrifice. Logically, he was the strongest, the most impenetrable to damage. The others were frail, and their injuries lasted longer and deeper. They could die faster. So Superboy saw no flaws in protecting them. It wasn't sacrificial, it was common sense. He was merely keeping his friends safe. But he nodded, because he didn't like it when Kid made that face at him.

* * *

Entering the tower after Aqualad walked inside made Wally shiver. He hated the feel of magic crawling through the air, squeezing around the group. The boy was quiet as M'gann and Aqualad assured the tower of their true intentions to find Dr. Fate or Kent Nelson. On cue, the tower erected a stair case, winding and long for them to follow. Wally scowled as the group began trudging up the stairs. Superboy was taking the rear, as Kid stomped on first, his speed making him the obvious choice to scope ahead for threats or to warn Dr. Fate.

When he reached the top of the tower, he realized, to his dismay, that Kent Nelson was nowhere to be found. Only a large, golden helmet, like something from a medieval setting sat in the centre. It was a bright brassy gold, and gleamed like the obnoxious goblets Bruce had in the china cabinet. Wally always had to polish china as punishment. The gold was broken up with dark, beady eye-holes. It should have been beautiful, but it was terrifying. Like a head without a body. Which begged the question, where was Kent Nelson and why did he leave his helmet lying around?

"Where's Nelson?" asked Artemis, as she entered first. The rest of the team followed behind her.

"Not here," grunted Superboy, and Wally grinned, before realizing Superboy had said it as an actual answer and not to smart-mouth Artemis. Before he could make a sassy comment, there was a crack like a gun-shot ringing through the air.

"Look's like the kiddies lead us to our prize," said Kadabra with a smirk, and Wally turned around, shocked to see Abra Kadabra and some strange, blue boy with horns like a ram or goat or some kind of horned animal protruding from his head. The boy smirked dangerously. And in their arms, tied up by dark, black cords oozing magical aura, was old Kent Nelson, looking slightly disheveled, his cheeks sunk in with signs of starvation, and his skin yellowing from jaundice possibly? He looked frail and weak and hardly the man that was Dr. Fate.

"Who the hell are they?" asked Artemis, unimpressed. Wally, however, tensed. He knew Kadabra, and the man was wily with his technology from the sixty-fourth century. The belt would need to be disabled before the team would be able to secure Nelson.

 _'M'gann! Tell everyone to take down Kadabra's belt! He's the older dude,'_ said Wally sternly, hoping his thought reached the Martian.

 _'Got it!'_ said M'gann, as he felt a sudden sting in the back of his head, signalling the molding of their minds.

"This is boring! Move aside or blow up," whined the boy, sounding every bit like a spoiled little brat. Sort of like Wally's bully, Ricky Sullivan. He pushed Mr. Nelson forward, and the old man fell to his knees, before slumping to the ground. He looked exhausted, physically and mentally, but there was a spark in his eye that said there was still a fight inside of him.

 _'Kid, take the Helmet of Fat_ _e and run as fast as you can. Allow us to bring Mr. Nelson_ _,'_ ordered Aqualad sternly.

Kid grimaced, glancing at the scene, but without waiting, he was off. His arms wrapped around the helmet, and he ran. The Tower seemed to understand his desire, and stairs appeared again, winding and curving. Kid raced through the stairs, unaware of what was occurring above him. He heard blue boy's screeches behind him, but he ignored it. The Helmet needed to be secure.

* * *

Superboy watched the younger boy scampering away, before turning his attention to the fight. Artemis was ignoring the blue-boy entirely. He seemed vaguely familiar, and Superboy faintly recognized him as a threat, or something important, but for what, he couldn't know. Did he have a connection to LexCorp? Superboy felt he did, but the knowledge was merely a face implanted in his mind. A lesson for another day.

Ignoring that errant thought that yielded no information, Superboy charged to the blue-boy, fists raised. Best to get free. Batman and the Flash had done lectures on hostage situations recently, and he knew that securing the hostage was the main objective. So, he was out to secure him. Even if he didn't quite know how yet. The lecture hadn't covered that part just yet. They were still on negotiations, something Superboy had no patience to attempt right now. Besides, magic may be a pain in the ass and follow rules of its own, but he found that when he punched things, his own stress levels relaxed, and he was calmer. This was a good situation to punch things. Striking out fast, he managed to knock the blue boy down.

Only to hear laughter from behind him, and a sudden blast sent the clone flying backwards. Superboy gasped as the wind was knocked from his lungs, leaving him panting and clinging to the air around him. He saw stars in his eyes, as Kaldur and M'gann went for the blue-boy. _Klarion_. Finally his brain rang a name. No- that was yelled from across the room. Somewhere in the midst of the battle, he had heard the name being tossed around.

As his breath returned, he saw Artemis pinned by the magic of the older sidekick (which was really quite odd, since normally sidekicks were the younger partners) her face turning blue. That's when Superboy realized the man was choking her with some strange spell. Vaguely he remembered Kid Flash's instructions. Go for the belt.

Superboy charged, a bit disappointed that he'd wasted so much time and let his friends get hurt. However, his fist collided with the man's belt, snapping it in two, and leaving a nice bruise just above the man's groin. The wizard sidekick, Kadabra, flew much like Superboy had from Klarion's magic, landing at the wall and probably receiving a concussion. On the other end of the small upper level of the Tower, Artemis slumped down, and Superboy felt a strange new emotion as he watched the blonde panting and clutching her chest, as though sealing air inside her.

Empathy. _Real e_ mpathy. He finally understood what it meant to be _empathetic_.

He didn't know quite how to describe empathy. But it was a painful, tingly sensation in his gut, twisting his insides as he realized how much pain Artemis was probably in from the sensations brought on by asphyxiation. Uncertainly, he stumbled towards the blonde. Cadmus had programmed him with many ways to choke people, various different chokeholds that were performed in martial arts or street-fights, stressing particularly on holds that Superman seemed to favor in his own fights. But not a single method on how to help someone who had nearly been strangled to death.

"Are you- Okay?" he asked, feeling a bit uneasy as he shifted on his feet.

The blonde glanced up at him, apparently unimpressed, before shrugging it off as she rose shakily, and took a hand to massage her surprisingly bruise-free neck. Her eyes drifted to the magician, and she drew out her bow and had the man trapped in a net before Superboy could even blink. Then her eyes darted back to the clone. He swore that the grey eyes relaxed just a tinge, but she was brutish as she replied, "Fine. You?"

"Fine," said Superboy, very relieved that Artemis wasn't the type to express her emotions or gratitude. If this was M'gann, she would have replied sweetly, and thanked him for his concern. He wasn't quite ready to be thanked for experiencing empathy. It felt more like something to be relieved about. He hadn't even known he was capable of such an emotion. It was highly possible Cadmus had programmed it out of him. It was nice to know he was capable of feeling things that Cadmus hadn't taught him about. Like empathy. Even if it was an unpleasant feeling.

"Where are M'gann and Kaldur?" asked Artemis suddenly, looking around the room in surprise.

"They were there, with the blue-kid," said Superboy, glancing around the empty room. He could have sworn M'gann and Kaldur had been there seconds ago.

They heard a scream, and both of them were running. Superboy was faster due to his enhanced senses and endurance and the fact that he hadn't been choked almost to death. The two found their team mates surrounded by rising black fire, on a different level of the tower. Kaldur's hand was bleeding, and Superboy could smell the tangy copper substance with the undercurrent of salt that didn't quite match the scent of human blood. He knew that the blood loss was substantial, and that the flames licking around the tower had knocked the leader out.

M'gann was holding the Atlantean upright, looking frantic. And Mr. Nelson lay dead by their feet.

* * *

"Oh no you don't! Hand it over or I fry the fish-boy and green-bean!" said a voice, ringing from around the tower. Kid couldn't pinpoint the location, the magic throwing off his senses. But the message was enough to make him falter.

 _'No!'_ cried M'gann's anguished voice in his head, and Wally stopped entirely, eyes wide as he realized what must have occurred. He had _fried_  his friends!  _'Kaldur!'_

Wally swallowed as he faintly heard the crackle of fire from the top of the tower. His eyes went wide, and his feet moved on their own, back in the direction of the flames rather than out of the tower. He competely forgot his friends, or the importance of keeping it away from the crazy evil forces. All Wally knew was that he had to get there, he had to help his friends! Wally heard a rage-filled roar of anger, and immediately knew Superboy was on the scene.

When he finally arrived, Wally's eyes went wide in horror. Superboy was trapped with Artemis in a dark orb, banging against it but to no avail as he yelled unintelligibly. Artemis was scowling furiously, but was more reserved in her anger, choosing to keep her bow strung and try and sense for weak-points in the orb by kicking it. Kaldur was unconscious in M'gann's arms, and she looked barely awake herself. The fire in the air was stifling them, and M'gann was already on her knees from the heat.

And in the center of all the destruction, standing like a lofty prince, was Klarion the Witch-Boy. His blue skin was glowing eerily, like a slew of jelly-fish in the underwater aquarium he'd gone to as a kid but with less awe and marvel, and more fear. His dark eyes were glittering with malice and a disgusting smirk was on his face. He looked triumphant.

"Finally!" said Klarion with a grin that made the Joker envious, "It's about time you showed up! Hand over the helmet brat-Flash, or otherwise fishy becomes fish sticks for Teekl!"

To emphasize his threat, the dark flames drew closer to Aqualad and Kaldur. M'gann gave an anguished cry, and the barely hanging on mental link vaporized. Kid was horrified at the scene. His stomach lurched, and the teenager shuddered. His eyes caught site of Mr. Nelson, laying dead before M'gann and Aqualad. If the man was here, as Dr. Fate, everything would be okay. If Dr. Fate hadn't been stupid enough to not install proper Bat-Tech security, this wouldn't be a problem.

And then, inspired by the stupid feeling in his gut, Wally ran quickly, his glasses slipped off and fell to the ground, as he raced around the flames, trying to create a vacuum to put it out. Amid all the running, he slipped the Helmet of Fate on to his head, and then everything went black.

* * *

"Hello there," said a kindly old voice, and Kid Flash groaned as he looked up.

His jaw dropped at the site. It was old Mr. Nelson, standing upright with his neck not snapped with blood pouring from the side. He was dressed in a fine suit, and he looked healthy and well, like Jay did. Not like the weakened old man Wally had seen at the Tower of Fate. Which begged the question- how?

"Kid? You with me?" asked the man, gently placing a hand on Wally's shoulder. It touched him, rather than going through like a ghostly hand should.

"You're dead!" he blurted out, all lessons of manners and tact evaporating from his mind. Somewhere in Wayne Manor, Alfred felt the urge to cry.

"You mean the body? Yeah, it's old and useless," said Mr. Nelson jovially, "Quite unnecessary to wallow about it, if you asked me. A hundred and six years of life is a long, good time for anybody."

"But you're dead! Wait- Am I dead?" asked Wally, as he stood up and dusted himself off. His clothes were still his Kid Flash civvies, the large yellow Flash hoodie and jeans, and his hair was still red and tangled. But his glasses were missing. Crud. "Where are my glasses?!"

"Probably where you left them," said Mr. Nelson easily, "You're not dead kid, you're as alive as I am, but better because you have a body to return to."

"Is this some magic mumbo-jumbo?" demanded Wally of the older man.

"Ah, so you're that kind of a man," said Mr. Nelson with a satisfied nod that made Wally squirm as though he was being judged, "To answer your question, yes, this is the magical mumbo-jumbo. We're trapped in the Helmet of Fate, or at least, our spirits are. Me, I'm here because my time of passing has not yet come. Fate doesn't have a host, thus I'm required to stay with the Helmet until Nabu finds a new host. You, you're Nabu's temporary host, Kid."

"Nabu- That's Dr. Fate, right?" asked Wally uncertainly, "And what do you mean I'm a host?"

"See for yourself," said Mr. Nelson, pointing behind Wally.

He turned around and his jaw dropped at the site.

_Dr. Fate stood in the centre of the tower, his hands forming a glowing golden ankh in the air, expelling the flames that had once trapped Aqualad and Miss Martian. Behind him, Superboy and Artemis crouched, looking exhausted and worried. Dr. Fate was tiny, not at all like what Kid had imagined. His body was small and bony, about the size of a twelve or thirteen year old kid. His clothes were a royal blue, and the helmet's gold shone on the Kid's head. Kid. Oh. OH!_

"Why am I Dr. Fate?!" demanded Wally, horrified.

"Nabu is the Lord of Order that resides within the Helmet of Fate," explained Nelson, "You put on the Helmet, you surrender your body to the God. Right now, he's fighting for your friends and for your own life."

"But- But- I can't be Fate! I'm not magical! I'm sciencical!" whined Wally, "And Kid Fate is the lamest idea ever. I'm Kid Flash, got it?"

"Kid Fate," mused Nelson, smiling slightly at the idea, "It's a cute name. Though I doubt Nabu would approve much of it. He's sort of a fuss-pot about things like that. Don't worry, when the big guy's done out there, I'll tell him to let you go."

"Right," said Kid Flash, grimacing at the idea of playing host to the magical parasite, "He better. No offence dude, but I do not want to spend the rest of my life in this- whatever this is- with you, even if Jay says you're a stand-up guy."

"Jay! How is he? I was planning to see he and Joan before his ninetieth," said Kent with a beam, "He was always fond of you Kid. Talked about Barry and the Kid all the time whenever we spoke on the phone."

"Jay's fantastic," said Wally with a nod, "So's Joan, but she keeps talking about hip replacements and arthritis. Aunt Iris thinks she's doing it to keep Jay from running off in the Flash suit and getting injured."

"Flashes, never could stop running," said Nelson fondly, "But you get women like Joan and Iris, they know how to slow their men down, keep them from running off. Like lightning rods to you boys."

Wally squirmed at the uncomfortable turn of conversation, and Nelson raised an eyebrow. Wally wasn't too sure how to broach the subject comfortably. He instead gave a shaky smile, before clamming up entirely. Just because Mr. Nelson was nice and believed in magic and all that didn't necessarily mean he'd be comfortable with the diverse sexuality thing. Besides, look at Ra's al Ghul, he was like five hundred or something and had  _major_  issues with Damian and Colin's relationship. Not that Nelson was Ra's, but better to be safe then sorry.

"Don't worry Kid," said Nelson with an easy nod, "You'll find your lightning rod someday. Course, considering the recklessness of putting on the helmet, they'd better be someone who can patch you up when you get back. Inza was like that for me, always by my side. Not that she let me get away when I ran off to be a hero, she always challenged me. A spitfire if there ever was one."

"I don't want to be patched up," scoffed Wally, "Alfred will always be there to do that anyways. Where's Inza now?"

"She's moved on," said Nelson with a sigh, a wistful look in his eye, "In the next world, she is."

"I'm sorry," said Wally sincerely, hating the lost look in the older man's eyes.

"Don't be," said Nelson with a wave of his hand, "I'm on my way to her soon. Besides, Inza was never one to take kindly to pity."

"Kind of like a friend of mine," murmured Kid, grinning as he thought of Superboy and how he rejected anyone's pity at his situation in preference to stew in anger.

"Good friend, huh?" asked Nelson slyly, with a conspiratorial grin.

"He's great," said Kid fondly, not catching on.

Nelson raised an eyebrow at this, but gave a kind smile as he pet Kid's shoulder. There was a sudden rattling of the helmet, and both men shook on their feet, until the balance returned and they found themselves standing again, upright and able. Mr. Nelson placed a gentle hand on Kid's shoulder to help steady him. Kid wasn't used to the sudden shaking of the world around him. Mr. Nelson was, apparently.

"Great friends are always worth the wait," said Nelson wisely, "Inza was my best friend, the best person I could have by my side. Loyal and kind, and patient. When you give your heart away Kid, give it to a friend, a great friend indeed."

Wally stared at Nelson, a bit surprised at the turn of the conversation, but the solemn tone made him nod rather than argue. It was wise advice nonetheless, and Wally could appreciate that. But he had no idea where the topic of love came into friendship. Maybe old age and dying had caught up with the man and made him go off the bend a little.

"Now excuse me," said Nelson with a wink, "It's time to get you out of here."

"Out?" asked Wally, feeling a bit stupid.

"Battle's over Kid," said Nelson with a shrug, "Kid Flash or Kid Fate?"

"Flash," said Wally immediately, and Nelson grinned, "But- What about you? I mean, if I don't stay you're stuck here. What about Inza?"

"She's waited this long, what's a little longer?" said Nelson, though he looked a bit sad at the idea, "And you're young kid, you have a life ahead of you. I've got all the time in the world to wait. I'm glad we met Kid. Take care of yourself."

"Wally," said Kid immediately, struck with a sudden lump in his throat, "My name is Wally Wayne. Nice to meet you Mr. Nelson."

Mr. Nelson's eyebrows shot up, and he smiled widely at Wally as he reached out and ruffled Wally's hair, "My name is Kent Nelson. I was glad to to be your friend."

"Yeah, me too," said Wally, as it suddenly struck him that he would never speak to this man again. Tears pricked his eyes at the thought of leaving the old man and his helmet. And then his adventure came to a close.

* * *

Superboy gaped at the remaining carnage of the scene. The Tower of Fate had been burnt and destroyed in the upper levels. The helmet of Fate remained secured atop Wally's head. Wally's body had sustained a heavy blow to his ribs, and he looked uneasy as he swayed on his feet. The witch-boy had been chased off after his cat had sustained an injury, and Abra Kadabra was already tied up thanks to Artemis. The authorities were on their way to pick up the notorious criminal.

"Kid?" asked the clone nervously, approaching the strange figure, that despite his tiny and lean stature, was giving away an imposing aura.

As he walked, his foot knocked over something that felt nothing like ash or debris. To the clone's surprise, it was Kid's sunglasses. The clone gazed at them in shock, eyes wide. He turned back to where Kid stood, until the helmet came off. He swayed for a minute, eyes shut and then Kid keeled over.

Superboy rushed to his friend's side, and lifted him gently into his arms. Artemis was beside them in a second, grabbing the Helmet of Fate as M'gann levitated Kaldur. Aqualad was in dire need of medical attention. Klarian had caused one of his water-bearers to explode in his hand, and the shrapnel had lodged itself into his fingers. One finger was neatly sliced off, and M'gann was holding it tightly. Two others were barely hanging on. The fire had only worsened Kaldur's condition from the blood loss.

"Let's go," said Artemis quietly.

The rag-tag group made their way outside of the Tower of Fate. They'd already sent a distress signal to the Watchtower for aide. By the time they got outside, Red Tornado had arrived with Green Lantern John Stewart. The two senior heroes immediately assessed the condition while Artemis briefed them. The blonde was the only one of the three standing that managed to keep her wits about her for the debriefing.

"I'll take the kids to the base," said John to Tornado, "Will you be okay making the arrangements for Kent?"

"I shall take care of things here," agreed Tornado with a nod, though if the robotic voice could sound depressed, than that was a good impression, "Nelson was a very good friend, and I shall grieve his loss."

"C'mon kids," said John, looking at the shell-shocked group with sympathy in his eyes, "You did good today."

Superboy clenched his hands into fists, feeling angry. Did good? Kent Nelson had died! Kaldur's hand was badly damaged! Kid- Kid was unconscious. The last fact brought Superboy back down to the body in his arms. Kid looked so much younger without the sun-glasses on his face. He had a lot of freckles dusting across his nose and cheeks. His eyelashes were dark red, like his hair, and they were long and dainty. Girly almost. But his eyebrows were thick, not bushy, but full. Usually only his eyebrows clued Superboy into his expression. Superboy felt odd as he laid Kid down on medical bed in the Bio-ship, still studying the boy's face intently.

Kid's nose had a bump on it, like it had been broken before. There was a small white line near his right ear that usually both his hair and glasses covered. A scar from long ago perhaps, and barely visible unless spotted. There was wisps of red-hair growing around his ears, and without careful grooming would probably develop into sideburns. His hair curled at the nape of his neck. Kid's face was much larger without the glasses too, and his cheeks seemed fuller, rounder and very white. Superboy almost understood why someone might pinch them.

The jaw line of Kid's face was angular, however, and still developing. He'd probably have a strong jaw-line in the future in his heart shape face. There was a boyishness about him, a mischievousness in his face. Kid looked merely asleep rather than knocked out.

His shirt was rising up after he'd been laid down, revealing a dark purple bruise that was splattered across his ribs, rising up to lick up his stomach and then disappear under the cloth. It was nasty and painful looking, but by the time they'd reach Mount Justice, it would have faded to a meeker dark red. Nevertheless, it made Superboy's heart do that strange squeeze-thing, but not out of sadness, but of anger. He didn't know this emotion. He was hard-placed to name it. So he brushed it off as another odd body reaction to be studied later. Kid was very pale, not ghost like, but like the cream sheets Black Canary had given him for his bedroom. By contrast, Superboy placed his hand near Kid's head, and marveled. His own hand was at least four shades darker, with a browner tone to it than Kid's pink.

Skin pigmentation is primarily derived from melanin. Melanin is a pigment produced by melanocyte cells in the basal layer of the epidermis. The melanocytes in some individuals and ethnic groups can produce more or less melanin as expressed in the melanin producing genes. This difference can lead to many wars and discrimination as well as Civil Rights movements. LuthorCorp does not condone discrimination based on the melanin production of a person. Neither does Superman or the Justice League.

Superboy knew all of this. Yet he couldn't help but marvel at the differences in their skin. Foreign.

They reached the Mountain in record speed, from which Aqualad was transferred up to the Watchtower for his hand to be repaired. Superboy watched him be picked up by Hal Jordan, the other Green Lantern, and transferred in a green orb all the way to space. The team stood outside the bio-ship until they couldn't see Hal Jordan or Kaldur any longer, and then some. John Stewart was the one who lead them away when he went into the bio-ship to check on Wally.

The Green Lantern took Wally from the bio-ship on a makeshift green stretcher. Superboy followed Stewart to the med-bay, determined to make sure at least one of the two injured friends was okay, M'gann and Artemis right behind him. Artemis was still clinging to the helmet of Fate, cradling the monstrosity like a child. It should be drowned for causing all of the mayhem today.

"He's fine," announced Stewart after laying Wally into the bed and using his ring to conduct a diagnostic test on the boy, "Just unconscious. Fate pushed his body too hard."

"He's bruised," pointed out Superboy gruffly, "On his ribs."

"Healing already. He has a few minor bone bruises too, but it's a more superficial wound then anything. Get some food into him when he wakes up and put some ice on his ribs," said Stewart with a nod, "I'm heading to the Watchtower now, so I'll send word about Aqualad."

"Thank you!" gushed M'gann, as she walked with John Stewart to the Zeta tube to ask more questions about Aqualad's condition. Artemis disappeared a few minutes later, mentioning something about the Helmet, though her face was pale.

That left Superboy alone with Kid. He felt strange as he stared at the boy's eyes. It felt wrong somehow. Even if he still didn't know what they really looked like. But this felt really odd. Like he was breaking Black Canary's rule and entering someone's room without a code or their permission. Uneasily, he began searching the med-bay for a suitable cover. Finally he found a mask used to sleep. The mask was a fabric thing shaped like goggles and with a flimsy black string. It was a plain black color, but it reminded Superboy of the glasses.

He brought the mask over, and gently placed it around Kid's eyes, until his face looked more normal. Then he sat back and waited for everything to be okay again.

 


	21. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaldur returns from the Watchtower and is surprised by the team.

**Movie Night**

It's three days after the fiasco with Dr. Fate that the team meets again. Kaldur's hand was in a cast. The finger that had been cut off was not salvageable, but the others, thankfully were. He had lost half of his pointer finger. Otherwise, like all Atlanteans, some time in salt water and he'd heal faster than a regular human and would be in top shape in no time at all. He was taken aback when he entered the kitchen to find the entire team standing there. He hadn't expected them to wait up until ten o'clock at night to see him. Training was already over for the day. They should be in bed at their respective homes. Not at the mountain.

The team was silent and anxious, not speaking. They all turned as the computer announced his entrance, and were staring at him like hawks as he made his way inside. He was dressed in his usual costume, but his hand was wrapped in a metal cast that had small holes to allow water to enter when Kaldur went swimming. He stared at the group, as they seemed to take all of him.

"I do not understand," said Kaldur, looking surprised as he was suddenly engulfed in a hug by M'gann and Wally, one babbling extremely fast in speed-talk, and the other gushing about something involving food, water, and rest.

"The father of the family returns," teased Robin, though he was silently appraising Kaldur's condition, "Mom and the baby were worried about you."

"How's the hand?" asked Artemis, leaning across the kitchen counter and looking Kaldur over with her grey, observant eyes that seemed to be mostly satisfied with what she found. Until her eyes went over the cast and a furious scowl appeared on her face.

"I am well, thank you," said Kaldur, as he glanced around nervously. He was sure that the proper time for a hug had been allotted. Yet, neither redhead had detached themselves from his person.

"You're crowding him," said Robin firmly, placing a hand on Kid Flash and literally pulling him off.

"I thought he died too!" said Kid angrily, "He looked dead!"

The team went silent, and they all shifted uneasily. Kaldur was taken aback. He had not anticipated he had made such an impression as a leader to the rest. Nor had he realized that the team had had such concerns upon seeing such an injury. He had assumed they were continuing as per normal with their training regimen and would be pleased to see his return. Apparently, he had been wrong. Superboy was the last to greet him, having been standing by the fridge with his customary scowl.

"Don't do that again," announced the clone strongly.

It sounded childish and silly coming from a grown teenager. To anyone else, it seemed rather inadequate to describe feelings of worry, if they were even such emotions. The clone often had trouble distinguishing any emotion he felt from his customary fall-back of anger. Nevertheless, to Kaldur it meant the world. His throat stuck, and he felt a strange lump forming their. Taking a deep breath, Kaldur retained his control over his emotions. It would not do for the leader to get misty-eyed.

"Thank you," said Kaldur earnestly, unable to convey his feelings with the appropriate sentiments. "Thank you" was far too inadequate.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked M'gann quietly, squeezing his shoulder, "Do you want some water? Black Canary said you'd need to keep your hand in sea-water. We went to the beach and got a lot of buckets of water! I'll get you some!"

With that, M'gann flitted away. Kaldur turned to Robin, uncertain if anyone else would provide a suitable explanation for what had just been said. Kid had once again wormed his way back onto his person, attached like a leech around his good arm. Oddly enough, the warmth the speedster exuded was rather soothing, and he allowed himself to relax in the hold. Besides, it kept the speedster quiet too.

"We were worried. Nobody was telling us anything, just that you'd been in surgery and that they were watching you," said Robin with a shrug, "We wanted to do something to help you and take our mind off things. And you're pool door was closed so we couldn't go in there and decorate, since you're the only one with a code to it. I mean, I could have hacked it, but it didn't seem right."

"I see," said Kaldur, unsure what else to express. "Why is everyone here so late? Was training not tiring? You did not have to stay and await my arrival."

"We wanted to," said Artemis with an eye-roll, "We do care about the daddy of the team y'know."

"I am afraid I do not," said Kaldur, once again thrown by the reference.

"You're the dad," muttered Kid Flash into his arm, "Cause if we were a family, you'd be the dad."

"Oh, I see," said Kaldur, once again feeling that familiar emotional constricting of his throat and a dryness in his mouth. Completely inappropriate at this time for a leader. "And I presume M'gann is the mother?"

"Right in one," said Robin with a grin, "I'm the oldest, responsible brother, Superboy's the angst-ridden middle child, Artemis is the rebellious teenage daughter, and Kid's the baby!"

"M'not a baby," said Kid with a rather childish pout.

"Considering the way you're hanging off of him," teased Artemis, and Kid threw her a nasty glare from behind his glasses, though his anger was only visible by the rude gesture that he made with his hand. Thankfully though, he did loosen his grip on Kaldur's arm.

"Go back to playing pretend hero at home," said Wally bitingly, and Artemis scowled, but Robin threw her a look and she quieted.

"I brought the salt water!" said M'gann, arriving in the room with a bowl of water. "Now do we get to watch the movies?"

"Yep, c'mon!" said Robin with a grin as he clapped a hand on Kaldur's shoulder, "Some good old fashioned comedy and adventure!"

"What are we seeing tonight?" asked Kaldur, allowing himself to be dragged by Robin, and to a lesser extent Kid.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail," said Robin with a grin, "Know anything about King Arthur, Kaldur?"

"I am aware that it is a rather tragic tale, and I am familiar with the most of the myths," replied Kaldur, "Though, I am unaware how Monty Python's play a role in the tale of Arthur."

"It'll make sense as we go along," said Robin with a flippant shrug of the shoulders.

Kaldur only nodded in response.

* * *

During the movie, Kid finally detached himself from Kaldur and sat down on the couch between Robin and M'gann. Kaldur was finally given his personal space as he got the arm-chair to himself, though Superboy insisted on sitting on the floor beside him. The water-bowl was placed on the arm of the chair so that his hand could be submerged in it. Artemis had settled on the love-seat, lying down with a bowl of popcorn on her stomach.

As the movie played, Kaldur did not quite understand the references, though the story overall was humorous. Despite Superboy's lack of expression, slight amusement glittered in his eyes. M'gann seemed to be silently conversing with Artemis, as the two girls exchanged glanced and Artemis had an annoyed look on her face after each joke. Robin kept nudging Kid, who began to come out of his upset shell and laugh a bit more. As the night drew to a close, Kaldur noticed that Kid had fallen asleep in the crook of Robin's arm.

That was a relationship Kaldur had never quite understood until he knew how they were related. The relationship was hardly the amicable platonic love between friends, or the amorous love of lovers. For a son of Batman to be so open and kind, and a son of Flash to be considered Robin's best friend seemed ludicrous. It was quite confusing, to say the least, in the early days of their meetings. However, only a month before the team was created, Kaldur had learnt their secret identities. Upon knowing the truth about Wally, well, that had blown Kaldur away. It was a secret Kaldur would take to his grave in honor of the trust the two placed on him.

Idly, thinking of friends and brothers, his mind went to Roy. He had not visited the archer in a while. After the rather dramatic declaration of independence, Roy had been avoiding him. No doubt Roy did not understand why he chose to stay with his King. Their relationship was not one built on any form of love, but rather of respect and understanding. And Kaldur would rather die than dishonor the faith his King had placed in him. Roy did not quite understand that. He saw Kaldur's refusal to part with his king as a sign of subservience and humiliation. On that note, perhaps he should allow Roy some rest. He had no intention to get into an argument with the older boy. But it was a pity they didn't see each other much.

On that note, his thoughts strayed to home. For a rather long time, almost two months now, Aqualad's thoughts had been dwelling on Atlantis. His mind longed for the familiar majesty of his city. The cool ocean temperatures. The comfort of home. The sight of Tula, sweet, beautiful Tula, with her beautiful smile and kind heart and gentle laughter. He missed the memory of his friend dearly. More than he missed that of his closest confidante, Garth. He wondered how the two were doing. If they thought of him as fondly as he thought of them.

Yet, the longing was less ardent than it had been for a long time. For the first time since the team had started, Kaldur felt startlingly like he was doing something right. Like the team really wanted him here. He knew he was not their first choice for leading, nor did he have the same expertise or understanding of the surface world as Robin did, but to know that they considered him father-like, that they say him as a part of their family, it did wonders for his ego. It also did wonders for his own emotions.

The longing for Atlantis dimmed slightly as he glanced at the sleeping face of M'gann, curled around Kid Flash, her arm across his middle and his arm holding her hand. Artemis was still awake as the credits rolled, but she caught his gaze and her lip quirked into a smirk, her eyebrow raised as though challenging, but Kaldur now knew was merely her way of expressing fondness. He returned a kind smile, before venturing his gaze to Robin, who was placing a pillow behind M'gann's head. Superboy was still up, but he turned to see Kaldur and then shifted his bowl slightly centre. The clone was still not the best with emotions, but that gesture showed the compassion the clone was struggling to learn.

They were an odd bunch. Not made for any world. Atlantis had never felt as much like home to him as this place right here. He knew the others must feel the same, for why else would they come here so late at night, on a Sunday that too? Why would they gather for an hour and a half to watch a ridiculous movie otherwise? It was a nice feeling to belong. And while they were hardly perfect- Superboy needed to work on understanding his emotions, Artemis needed to work on controlling her aggressions, M'gann needed to work on understanding humanity, Robin needed to allow himself to fail, Wally needed to grow- but they were something. And they could work on it together. Belong together.

It was a nice thought to go to sleep to that night.


	22. The Kid-Flash Conundrum

Superboy was surprised at the sudden mission call. He had been fixing his bike up, and once again, to his own frustration, had punctured yet another tire and snapped two wrenches in the process. This mechanic thing was hard! He'd been told a private project would have been beneficial to him, to help his rage, but it only seemed to be making it worse. He was contemplating giving the bike up. He just didn't enjoy the machine at all. Interrupting his thoughts had been the mission alarm. For missions, the alarm was a pitch higher than the regular alarm, only to be discerned by Superboy himself. The clone packed up his tools neatly into his toolbox, and headed to the briefing room.

Kid Flash was already there, as were M'gann and Kaldur. M'gann gave him a customary smile, Kaldur merely nodded at his presence, and Kid beamed and waved wildly at him as though Superboy's very presence was enough to excite him. He stared back at them all, before choosing to imitate Kaldur with a slight nod of his head. Kaldur's displays of greeting and emotion seemed easiest to copy, where as Kid Flash was hardest. Artemis arrived next, dressed in what looked like a pair of yoga pants and a green t-shirt and her usual scowl in place. She shrugged and told M'gann she'd been on a run when the mission came and that's why she wasn't dressed yet.

When Batman arrived, he was trailed by Robin, who gave everyone a smirk and a nod. Batman took in all their appearances, before scowling at Artemis, who gave her explanation. He nodded, and let it go. Superboy found his eyes drifting to Kaldur and Kid Flash. The two he was closest to on the team. The two he worried about most after their last mission.

Kid looked healthy and well, and he was smiling a bit more genuinely right now. He looked really happy, instead of somewhat happy as he had after the mission with Dr. Fate. That made Conner glad. It was nice to see Kid smiling more. He felt that familiar twist in his gut, and took his eyes off of Kid. He shouldn't be feeling that strange. He'd been fine merely moments ago. Kaldur looked healthy and closed off. The familiar sentiments of disappointment lingered in his eyes. It had been a constant since their last mission. Superboy knew Kaldur wanted more than ever to prove himself as leader now, feeling as though he'd only let the team down further. He'd heard Kaldur telling this to Robin early on.

"You have a mission," said Batman, "Approximately ninety-eight minutes ago this unknown creature attacked Wayne Towers in Research and Development Department. It was mailed to Bruce Wayne in an air-tight barrel, from an untraceable address, and had been in the barrel for almost what we can assume twenty-three hours. Upon opening the barrel, it escaped and attacked everyone in sight, including Bruce Wayne and his son Dick Grayson. No casualties resulted. From what Robin and I have determined, the creature was too dazed and disoriented. It was uncomfortable in it's own body and unused to it's own power, giving us the advantage. It has a connection to the League of Shadows, which is yet undetermined. After the attack, it escaped into the sewers approximately eighty minutes ago and could be anywhere in Gotham's underground with no apparent agenda of it's own. The team is to find and attempt to detain the creature while I work on synthesizing some kind of antidote or weakness to use against it."

The team nodded, and looked eagerly over the mission file on the creature. It was apparently named Clay-Face, due to the clay-like substance it was made out of. The media had reported the creature attacking Wayne Towers, but no other reports were made about it as of yet.

"This mission will be lead by Kaldur, however, he is expressly ordered to stay out of the fight by Doctor Midnite. Take Robin with you," said Batman to the Atlantean, who nodded, "And Kid Flash, you're with me."

Superboy glanced up in surprise, as did everyone else. Kid Flash himself looked shocked. Robin frowned, and asked, "What for?"

"Kid's speed will be beneficial in the lab work," said Batman with a nod, "Good luck."

Kid surprised Superboy by grinning rather than frowning, looking rather pleased with himself. As though he'd won some kind of lottery or prize. He was out the door merely seconds later, waving back to the team and then he zeta-ed to Gotham, leaving behind a confused team, and an empty feeling Superboy.

* * *

The mission on the ground was the strangest thing Superboy had ever experienced. For one, rather than the usual companionship of Kid Flash, he was paired with Artemis, who was surprisingly quiet. His mind had the familiar presences of Robin, M'gann and Kaldur, however, they were all so quiet and dull. They were all so  _focused_. There was no liveliness among the team.

Furthermore, Kaldur was out of commission, thus he had to stay back on the bio-ship. His frustration with the situation was a constant presence in their mind, leaking into their own thoughts. The mission wasn't easy as it was. The team had to navigate through Gotham's sewage system to try and find any brown muddy substances that could possibly be alive and part of a larger substance. It was a sad state of affairs when most of Gotham's sewage seemed to fit the mark. Not to mention the  _smell_.

It was ugly and awful like rancid meat and smoke and something acrid like gunpowder. As long as Superboy lived, he vowed he'd never return to this stupid, this horrendous, this disgusting patch of the earth. A teasing voice in his mind, fairly like that of Kid Flash, said,  _'You've got to try new things, Supey! New experiences are awesome!'_

When did Kid Flash get a voice in his mind? He didn't like that at all. It felt oddly strange to have a false voice in his head. It was like being back at Cadmus, so Superboy did the most rational thing he could think of in reaction as his eyes widened in shock. He punched a wall.

"What the hell?!" yelled Artemis, jumping in surprise as the wall dented at his anger.

"Didn't you hear that voice?" asked Superboy, sounding uneasy.

 _'Are you alright, my friends?"_  came Aqualad voice, apparently picking up on their distress.

 _'Superboy's hearing voices,'_ said Artemis bluntly.

 _'_ _Disengage immediately_ _! It_ _may_ _be the creature!"_  ordered Aqualad,  _'What voices are these, Superboy?'_

 _'I heard Kid Flash in my head,'_ replied Superboy bluntly.

 _'Impossible, KF's with Batman, and there's no_ _Bat_ _-tech on the planet that could get inside your head. Trust me, Batman's tried,"_ said Robin bluntly.

 _'There's nothing invading our mind link,'_ said Miss Martian firmly,  _'Whatever it is, it's only affecting Superboy.'_

 _'Reconvene immediately,"_ ordered Aqualad sternly,  _'Superboy, Artemis, I'm coming with the bio-ship to meet you. ETA at the Clock Tower in seven minutes. We will await you there."_

Artemis and Superboy immediately gave their affirmatives, before turning on their heels and slowly racing towards the Gotham City Clock Tower. The sewer stench seemed sharper as they moved, adrenaline coursing through their veins at the possibility of Clay-Face's presence. Superboy saw Artemis giving him nervous glances as they shifted through the crawling alleys of Gotham's underground, careful to avoid the toxic water floating beside them. It was filled with dark sludge and luminous green goop that lit the place eerily and cast shadows along the walls that only worsened their anxiety.

By the time they got out of the sewer, Superboy was convinced that it was the monster that had spoken to him. Why would Kid Flash have been in his mind?

* * *

At the Clock Tower, Kaldur was already waiting for them on the roof beside the large clock itself. Superboy had jumped Artemis and himself up to the roof. They were waiting for Miss Martian and Robin. After extracting an exact and detailed report from Superboy about the mystery voice, he'd let Artemis and Superboy into the bio-ship to help track down the creature. The communicators in the bio ship were hacked into the GCP frequency, and reports of crime waved in every few minutes, filling the tense silence between the group.

_"_ _33, 10-31 at R.H Kane building."_

_"10-4."_

_"18, 10-15 on 1931 Park Row."_

_"10-22."_

_"12 and 55, 10-32 at 1940 Fox and Gardner!"_

"Can you turn that _down_?" asked Artemis, growling slightly as she glared at the police radio as though it was attacking her.

"I am afraid not," replied Aqualad calmly, though he did move the dial down a few notches. Not very noticeable, but it was a reprieve for Superboy's mental faculties at the least. It was still fairly audible to normal ears, "We must be aware if the creature is nearby and chooses to strike."

"Are you sure you heard something?" asked Artemis. Superboy stared at her. He was fairly certain Kid Flash did something similar where he'd start talking about something and suddenly change the topic. It was how Superboy knew that his friend was bothered by something important. He sucked at transitions.

"I heard Kid Flash in my head," said Superboy stubbornly, "Like he was really there!"

"I didn't hear anything," said Artemis with a frown, "I didn't even see anything either beyond the crap that was Gotham's sewers."

"Nevertheless, even if it is not the creature itself, it is still a threat if it hinders the mission and Superboy's concentration," said Aqualad firmly. "With myself already out of the field, it would not do for another member of the Team to be taken off of active duty."

Artemis scowled even more. Superboy found it strange to be around Artemis's scowls without Kid Flash. It seemed harsher somehow. Usually that scowl was directed at his friend after all. He didn't like that feeling of his friend not causing Artemis to scowl. Worse, it made him uncomfortable that Artemis's scowls reminded him of Kid Flash. He couldn't understand  _why_  he kept thinking about Kid Flash.

The bio-ship doors suddenly opened, and in came Robin and Miss Martian. Where Superboy and Artemis had escaped Gotham sewers without actually touching the slime and pollution, the other two had not been so fortunate. Miss Martian was clean, but the strong stench emanating from her seemed to suggest it hadn't always been so. Robin was missing a boot, and he looked heavily disgruntled.

"What happened?" asked Kaldur immediately with worry.

"Faulty stone," said Robin darkly, "It slipped and we lost our balance for a second. If M'gann hadn't started flying when she did, we'd both have taken a bath in Gotham's finest."

There were sympathetic winces from all around at that, but Robin merely waved it away coolly and calmly as he turned to Superboy. His stare was dark and worried at the same time. It was even more impressive behind the emotionally-repressive domino mask.

"Have you figured out what Superboy was hearing?" asked M'gann immediately, "Or should I do a mental sweep?"

"Sweep him," said Robin, but was cut off as Aqualad, who turned to Superboy and politely asked, "Will you consent to M'gann probing your mind for information?"

Superboy shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like the idea of having another person in his head. It was bad enough that Kid Flash was already in his mind and uncontrollable. To have M'gann, who's telepathy was so like the G-gnomes from Cadmus, sweep his mind was terrifying. It felt like he was being asked to rip off a leg and arm and eat them. He could just about tolerate the mental links. Yet, he still reveled in having pure mental freedom and privacy to exercise and develop his own thoughts, and to be able to express them privately without guidance. This was a rather large step to let someone see inside of him. See what made the clone tick. He didn't even understand himself, how was he supposed to let M'gann investigate him?

"I- I don't know," said Superboy uneasily, and he immediately turned his attention to Artemis. She was the only one in the team who managed to keep any form of pity or sympathy out of her expression as she kept her stoic and calm gaze level with his face. He hated it when his friends did that. He preferred Artemis and Kid Flash's methods of waving the attention away with scowls or smiles.

"It's very safe," said Miss Martian gently, "I won't probe deep into your mind, and at most it will just feel like a scanner in your head. I promise not to influence any of your thoughts."

The bio-ship seemed to shrink at those words. It got tighter and hotter in the room around him as the expectations squeezed the air around the young clone. He didn't want anything to do with this situation. He wanted to escape to the freedom of his mind, be alone and private. And now someone wanted to interfere with his escape. To enter in the most intimate way possible. And maybe it was unfair to M'gann, but Superboy had fairly bad experiences with that kind of intimacy.

"Put this on hold," said Robin suddenly, his hand pressed to the comm in his ear. "Batman just called in. The creature's been spotted a few blocks away near the GCPD before fleeing the area. From what Batman says, he was probably in the vicinity around where Superboy and Artemis were. If you two hadn't left he'd probably have attacked you two."

The team stiffened, but Superboy let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He  _hadn't_  been going crazy. And the monster had really been in his head. Then he frowned. The fact that it was more of a relief to be mentally intruded upon than be crazy thinking about Kid Flash felt weird. He decided that it was wrong. The monster was going down for attacking his thoughts. He'd rather be crazy about Kid Flash, which he wasn't. The only real good side of all of this was that he didn't need a mental sweep from M'gann to investigate the very private and personal areas of his mind.

"He's headed for Cathedral Square," said Robin tersely, "Batman says he and Kid Flash will meet us there once they compound they've finished their last test. We're to find and detain the creature until his arrival."

Kaldur nodded and turned to M'gann. As the team conversed, Superboy slunk to his usual chair in the ship and sat down, a funny tingly feeling in his stomach. It made him happy and uneasy at the same time. He was going to see Kid Flash again. They were going to be on the Team together and fighting back to back. Yet, he was still unsure about the craziness. These unpleasant emotional responses to Kid Flash.

* * *

Upon arriving at a warehouse between Cathedral Square and the GCPD, Aqualad had decided to keep the team together to hopefully minimize any impending attack. Despite his own still injured hand, he was out on the ground, a water bearer in his capable hand. The entire Team had disagreed with Kaldur, but he refused to leave the Team on their own. It was his job as leader to be beside his team at all times, despite injury. M'gann had reinforced their mental shield for any attack as they arrived at the warehouse where a distress call was made claiming a large brown gooey monster had been spotted here.

' _Stay close together,'_  ordered Aqualad quietly.

' _Watch your hand and don't strain it,'_  stated Robin with a nod, as he pulled out two batarangs and the team entered the warehouse.

 _'Please be careful Kaldur,'_ said Miss Martian, a little more tired than enthusiastic, but Superboy chalked it up to the strain of having to keep mental shields up while at the same time keeping the mental link up. This was the first time the martian girl was being challenged in such a manner.

The team stalked the shadows in the warehouse unsuccessfully for a what felt like hours but in reality was mere minutes. The warehouse was large and spacious, with various crates loaded in rows. The crates were filled to the brim with steel. As a warehouse for Wayne Enterprises, all the crates had the Wayne Enterprise logo emblazoned in black up in the right hand corner of the box. Almost like an afterthought. Nothing like the Lex Luthor logos parading around the Metropolis Superboy only knew through his dreams, television and false memories. The warehouse was lit by the moonlight poking through the windows around the ceiling, and a few flickering fluorescent lamps above them. There was no sign of Clay-Face. 

Artemis had lowered her bow and had the tell-tale signs on her face that she was about to make a negative comment when they heard shuffling. Within seconds, a batarang was tossed in the direction of the sound, and three rats ran by, squeaking and screeching. The sounds echoed in the warehouse like nails on a blackboard, grating and ear-splitting in the dark Gotham night.

"Paranoid much Rob?" asked a familiar voice, and Superboy turned to see Kid Flash, standing there and grinning as he waved at the team and sauntered over. He was still short, still freckled, with goggles in place and looking giddy. Each red hair stood out on end, looking perfectly tousled. Immediately Superboy tensed, and felt panicked. Was he seeing things now? What was Kid Flash doing here? First the voice, and now this? 

"Kid!" beamed M'gann, as she flew over to embrace him. Superboy gaped, and then crossed his arms sullenly. However, internally he was still relieved that this wasn't his mind playing tricks. It was real. Kid Flash was solid in front of him. Superboy wasn't losing his mind. 

"Where's Batman?" asked Robin, suddenly looking deeply suspicious and mistrusting. Something was wrong. Robin  _never_  glared at Kid Flash, and Superboy turned to the younger teen who casually tossed his arms around M'gann. His eyes narrowed as he realized what that meant. Imposter. Kid Flash hugged with all his being, not like that.

"Knew Robin would catch on," said Kid Flash, in something decidedly more sinister than his usual tone.

He began to grow, the yellow arms of the suit darkening into a sickly brown, like the color of rotting wood, and wrapped tightly around M'gann. He stretched them and tightened around Miss Martian, who had gasped and her eyes glazed over with power as she tried to free herself, but her struggles were in vain. Artemis had already shot and arrow at the sludge, trying to contain it's spreading with polyurethane foam. It merely slid around the foam and through it, which should have been impossible, as the foam blew into chunks and landed in pieces. Kaldur was releasing a flood of water from his water-bearer at the beast, slicing through sludge in an attempt to free M'gann.

Neither Robin or Superboy had moved.

Instead, both seemed entranced by the grotesque transformation. It was a morbidly perverted show, as the once light and friendly face grew gleeful and sinister as it squeezed Miss Martian's body in an ugly hug. The creature was still Kid Flash along his body and legs and face, but his arms, his arms were grotesque and large and  _wrong._ This was not how Kid Flash deserved to look like.

Something bubbled in Superboy. A familiar emotion that made him roar loudly. Anger. The only emotion he'd been programmed to learn. The one he was most familiar with. The one that still made him the most comfortable. It made Superboy toss himself at the creature with blind rage, fists raised as he attacked the sludge. His punches never went for what looked like Kid Flash, because that felt wrong, but rather, he attacked the parts that resembled the monster. Trying to break them off his friend's body.

A birdarang whirred past Superboy's ear, exploding upon impact with the monster's shoulder. He splattered into many pieces as Miss Martian broke free of it's hold finally. The Kid Flash that had once stood there was gone, leaving splatters of brown mud around them. The mud began to move, and Superboy at once felt something tightening around his leg. He tugged harshly, but he couldn't move as the mud hardened into something stronger than even the Kryptonian. Miss Martian stumbled beside him as she regained her lost breath, but it was in vain as the creature tightened around her legs as well, winding up up  _up_  their legs to their chests, tightening it's hold without reacting to their struggles. Squeezing them tightly and making it hard to breathe.

Kaldur and Artemis were beside them, hacking away at the sludge, only for Artemis to lose her quiver and to have a tendril of the clay-like substance to wrap around her own waist, tightening her arms to her abdomen, and lifting her into the air as she cursed loudly at the situation, only to have clay wrap around her mouth and silence her. Robin diced the clay tendril with a birdarang, but the birdarang was merely absorbed into the creature as it suddenly moved to Kaldur's cast and shattered it as he began looping around the Atlantean, who cried out in pain, before passing out limply and causing Artemis and Robin to cry out in worry. 

Robin moved, only to suddenly curse as well, and Superboy turned now, very quickly with only his shoulders and neck, to see his other friend being pulled towards them. His utility belt was wrapped in clay, and no matter how he tried to access it, tools being pulled out of his gloves, the attempt was futile. Superboy was now neck deep in the cool sludge, unable to move and rage filling his mind. He wanted to be free, to escape, and to get revenge. But all thoughts were lost as the clay finally made it's way around his head, and everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Challenge that really doesn't involve any hard work beyond imagination:
> 
> If you enjoy this story, or my Bat-Clan Wally story, and there's something you really want to see happen, I don't care, like a fluffy Barry takes Wally to the movies for the first time or Iris and Barry's first date (I want to write these both but they'll probably work their way into the main story or I'll write them in my head and that's that. Just, be original and don't ask for it) then place a request!
> 
> Request by reviewing or PMing. If I have time (and judging from the way this week is shaping up, I probably will~!) than I will write them.
> 
> The best two ideas for sure will get written. Maybe top three. For each story. Or maybe just best two per story, or two for one and three for the other, no idea, I don't really think this stuff through.
> 
> Anyways, until next Wednesday I'm accepting requests, so take your time. You can place as many requests as you want, but to ensure fairness, only one request per person will be written. Each story will be listed as an in-universe One-Shot that is pure fluff (or angst, I go both ways), and they'll be like little Omakes like in manga an they'll be posted into this story itself. As for rating, I'm open to writing any rating (But be warned, I have little experience with writing good smut and I'd rather not write too much smut or boring smut or smut that makes no sense to the plot).
> 
> Finally, these challenges, if people enjoy them and I don't lose my mind, will make themselves apparent around holidays (So a Christmas one in the future maybe?).


	23. Instantaneous Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally discusses grief and change with his father. Only to be confronted by the biggest possible change yet.

Being in the Bat-Cave with his dad was infinitely the best mission ever. After Wally had started as Kid Flash, his schedule had become pretty hectic between his trips to Central and Gotham. The time differences alone made it hard to see his dad every day. Sometimes they'd go a full week without being able to talk to each other. Wally didn't blame the Batman for it. He was after all CEO to a conglomerate business that spanned multiple nations during his days, play-boy philanthropist with a family the size of Quidditch Team, and then at night, the dark crazy Gotham knight who fought psychopaths without twitching and a city relying on them for the ability to go out past nine o'clock at night with the semblance of safety. It was exhausting just thinking about all that responsibility.

Still though, one on one time with his dad was always welcomed. Add science to it, and it was excellent. Of course, the reason didn't escape Wally. He'd just witnessed a man die, sustained a heavy injury, and was probably traumatized. And his dad wasn't really the hot cocoa and a late night talk sort of guy. That was Alfred's responsibility.

"So where do I start?" asked Wally, eagerly bouncing on his heels as he followed his dad through the cave.

The Bat-Cave was the sleekest thing Batman owned, and if you've ever seen the Bat-mobile, well, that says a  _whole_  lot. The computers were all touch-screens, with several large screens all displaying various reports of crime from Gotham at every hour. Alongside Gotham reports of crime, there were various watches on Lex Luthor, the League of Shadows, and other large multi-national criminals activities. Not to mention the Justice League reports that trickled in as each member filled them out. It was just another reminder of how  _busy_ Batman was.

"I've already isolated the samples. I had Robin deliver a sample to Zatara, his report will be delayed since he was drafted into a mission an hour ago. He'll figure out how to contain this thing. I've got residual samples from the scene that need to be analyzed, as well as samples of the substance itself. Clay-Face is a pretty apt term. The physical sample resembled clay itself, but I suspect magical interference," said Batman as he moved to the lab benches.

The lab benches in the Bat-Cave were ordered directly out of the military catalog. Fire-proof, acid-proof, water-proof, bullet-proof, grenade-proof, and pretty much proofed against anything. Even Jason-proof. But not quite Jason _and_  Tim proof. The sleek black counter-tops balanced over dark grey cabinets. They called to Wally like sirens must have called to the sailors in the ancient years or in those scary stories Diana encouraged. Already the clay-sample was stored in a thick safe under the lab bench. Test-tubes and flasks were set up in an elaborate arrangement that was actually pretty useless for analyzing this compound but looked awesome as non-lethal, household chemicals and pharmaceuticals flowed through them. With the right arrangement, Wally mused, he could probably convert the set-up into a meth lab. That would probably get him banned from the Bat-Cave for a month and earn a seal of approval for life from Jason. Wally was proud to have created the arrangement last night while waiting for his brother to get off patrol. Maybe he'd set the meth-lab tomorrow night during Batman and Robin's patrol.

"If it's got magic, why am I needed?" asked Wally, a bit disappointed. Magic was out of his domain.

"We can break the compound down with science and see if there's any scientific weaknesses," said Batman with a small smile, "That's why I need your help. We have residual samples to take apart, as well as the main sample itself. Which do you want to handle?"

"Main sample," said Wally firmly, "Have the initial toxicology reports brought up anything?"

"Signs of Lazarus interference, but to what extent is yet undetermined," said Batman, grabbing the reports from the Bat-Printer (it was just a Wayne Tech printer that had a Bat drawn on it in sharpie. Wally had a lot of spare time waiting for his family to come home at night). "This is the computer break down of the substances in the sample. As far as it looks, it's pretty much clay. It shows no attachment to it's original owner, so I concluded that without the main mass, the rest of the substance is harmless."

"But he regenerated from the main mass, and he can get bigger or smaller. That means the cells can do spontaneous mitosis and probably regenerate at will. But how does he control that? Is it a genetic mutation, physical triggered with automatic injury, requires neural signals, or the magic? Whatever the case, physical injuries don't work on this guy," said Wally with a hint of glee. He _lived_  for these moments.

"That's what we have to break down. At the least, we need to stop the main mass from being able to regenerate if we want any way to keep this guy down long enough to arrest and contain," said Batman with a nod, as he moved to the residual samples to break down for further analysis.

"What else can he do with his cells if mitosis is controllable? Is he able to control the aspects of his mutation? And how does he reverse the process? Is he reversing the process at all?" continued Wally, speeding to the other end of the lab and grabbing his tablet and pen to scribble notes. Automatically they were uploaded to the other members of the Wayne family, who could add their own notes and comments.

Already, in bright red ink came a message from Red Robin under his orange writing.

_Check the molecular composition and isolate the DNA._

_Fuck that, blow it up. Reduce the thing into a pea and arrest that._

_Red Hood's an imbecile. Go to sleep Hood and work off your hangover while Red Robin and I discuss actual methods that could work. You said there was Lazarus interference? To what extent?_

Wally grinned at his brothers, as the last bit of green writing faded and Batman muttered something from the other end of the room, probably from reading the conversation. Wally wouldn't be surprised if Jason's blood would suddenly appear in the Bat-Cave for drug testing. It happened every so often. Ignoring the raging debate on Jason's alcoholism that had grown out of what was supposed to be notes for a lab, Wally moved over to the lab and began to follow Tim's advice, as he slid a sample under the microscope to get a better look and then use a pipette to draw the nucleus out. Another sample was slid into the mass spectrometer to be vaporized for the molecular composition. In silence, he moved across the lab.

His goggles doubled as safety goggles, his costume far more protective than any lab-coat or gloves. There were a thousand lab rules that needed to be followed in regular school labs or even in industrial labs that Wally's speed compensated for. It was only in the comfort of the Bat-Cave that Wally could escape those rules and be himself. Be the scientist that was limitless. His hands moved ten times quicker than any tool, working effortlessly to draw out the DNA from the sample he'd collected. Or at least, what sufficed for DNA.

The shape was like nothing Wally had ever seen before. It was far too thick and long to be normal human DNA, but when he put it through the scanner, the results came up with the annoying error code. Luckily, each error code served a purpose. Any error code above 500 usually meant it had magical origins.

The mass spectrometer report would be able to clear up some of the confusion of the magical origin. Used to profiling unknown substances, it was programmed to state recognizable error codes and possible original sources. Normal reports wouldn't have done so, and for the longest time, neither Batman nor Nightwing had bothered upgrading the machine to recognize the codes, but Tim had taken it as a personal insult during his tenure as Robin, so everything was always updated. Maintenance was run by Red Robin even while he was in San Francisco.

But for now, Wally was going to take a break. He'd only broken so much of the creature down. And Alfred had brought them hot chocolate, tea and cookies. He could afford a break.

* * *

Living with Alfred taught a man the art of subtlety. Everything about the butler was subtle and had a deeper intention. Never did Alfred do anything without a purpose. It was an annoying habit Bruce had picked up from the man. Talia had thought it endearing. Selina thought it was interesting. Vicki had thought it annoying. The many women in between had their own opinions on the matter. But for Bruce, it was a life-saver.

If Bruce wasn't so well-attuned to his own body, he'd never have been able to grasp the subtle nuances of Alfred Pennyworth. He probably wouldn't have survived the teen years and the bachelorhood and the early days with Damian without being able to pick up on Alfred''s cues.

When Alfred quirked an eyebrow, it meant he severely disagreed with your opinions and if you didn't rectify your course of action, he'd probably make bland dinners for the rest of your life until you complied with his wishes. Conversely, when Alfred tensed his shoulders just enough to stand a little taller, it meant he disagreed of the course of action, but your heart was in the right place and if things went well you'd probably not have to worry about salt-and-pepper chicken for dinner every night. If Alfred brought you your tea with the sugar already mixed in, it meant he was worried for your health and wanted you to stay home or he would probably drug your next drink with sleeping pills and then blame it on your own exhaustion. Despite being Batman, Bruce had yet to find proof of this, but he wasn't going to let the wily old man get away with it. If he brought you a snack with your tea, it meant you had just done something that pleased him very well and you should probably continue this course of action and anticipate your favorites for dinner. 

Not that all of Alfred's little nuances involved food. That would mean the British man was going easy on Bruce. If the house had a slight layer of dust in the areas that were commonly used, it meant that Alfred was very upset with your choice of house guest for the week and they needed to go immediately lest the dust become a permanent fixture. If the silverware's polish was just a little duller than usual, it meant that one of the boys had done something wrong and Alfred was planning to suitably punish them and Bruce would be better off not enquiring about the details lest he wanted to be reminded just how much silverware the Wayne family owned. If the laundry was drying outside it meant that Alfred had caught on that you wanted to discuss something and was awaiting you to confront him by faking a good mood. If the garden was a little unruly, it meant that Alfred was actually starting to feel unwell and should probably be given a day or two off to compensate. And every so often, he'd change the routine up to throw Bruce for a loop and he'd have to relearn the process. 

So when Alfred brought the snacks and beverages, Bruce couldn't help the automatic part of his brain he'd dubbed the 'Alfred-Analyzer' from watching his every move like a hawk. The roundest cookies, with the most chocolate chips, were thrust into Wally's hand, with the two, slightly more smaller-than-the-average-round cookies coming to Bruce. Wally's cup was stirred eight times instead of Alfred's usual loving four.

"How goes the research Master Wally?" asked Alfred, stoic and calm as ever, not even another twitch in his body as he moved to stir Bruce's tea. It was only where the boys were concerned that Alfred was so open about his emotions, despite the concern only being betrayed by his eyes. 

Bruce's cup got the regular four stirs, the spoon cutting off from completing it's final full circle and staying in the cup as he laid it before Bruce. Normally, most would assume that because Wally had started babbling Alfred had done such a thing out of politeness to concentrate full attention on the lad. However, they obviously did not share the deeper understanding that was the Batman and his butler's relationship. That was a very glaring message.

The curved silver handle of the spoon, chosen specifically to resemble an arrow head judging from the pointier-than-normal tipped handle, was directed at Wally. The message could not have been clearer.  _Talk to him or your next drink will come cold_. Or maybe his shirts would be ironed an hour in advance so that they were slightly crinkled when he got to wear them. Alfred left with the tray merely minutes after. He made sure to leave behind the one cup. Damn stoic butler. If only he wasn't so irreplaceable, Bruce would have fired him ages ago. That being said, Bruce made a mental note to try and lock up all the criminals before the next birthday or holiday. It would get the older man to back off if he was slightly pleased to see the family at home and Bruce making attempts. Apparently not talking to Wally about puberty and grief was enough to be black-booked by the butler. He hadn't had any of his favorite dishes in a week. Heck, Bruce would even try and avoid arguing with Jason if it meant no more slightly salty meals. No promises about the Damian or the others at this stage, but he'd probably get desperate if this treatment continued. 

Clearing his throat, Batman glanced at Kid from the corner of his eye. Best try and start now. Wally was staring at his father in obvious surprise, but his attention was fully on him. Good. Now how exactly does one start these things?

"Good hot chocolate?" asked Bruce rather lamely. Eloquence was much easier to portray to a crowd of floozies than his own son.

"Yeah," said Wally, setting the cup down with slight concern across his face.

"I- I wanted to talk to you," said Bruce finally, "About how you were feeling. With the last mission, and all the things that came up in between, we've not really had a chance to talk about it. Cass told me you were feeling better, but well, feeling better isn't always the same as feeling good."

Wally gaped at Bruce in understanding, and then blushed as he fumbled for the right words. "I'm totally fine dad! I swear! I mean- Cass and I talked about this. I got my PTSD under control."

"You have PTSD?" asked Bruce, slight concern unable to be contained.

"It's just an expression," deadpanned Wally, reaching out to pet his knuckles with those thin fingers of his.

"I see," said Bruce with a nod, "So, it doesn't bother you witnessing what you did?"

"I- Well, I mean," began Wally hurriedly, "It did, but then Cass said Mr. Nelson wanted me to be happy, so I'm being happy. That's okay right?"

"Of course," said Bruce, wrapping an arm around the thin shoulders of his son, "It's perfectly okay to be happy. But being happy and faking happy aren't the same thing. Are you happy?"

"I don' know," said Wally quietly, as the machines began to whir slightly louder, their cacophony beginning to signal the slowly building end to their discussion. "I mean, I liked the guy, he was real nice, like Jay. But his wife had died, and he wanted to be with her, but because he died and nobody became Dr. Fate, he doesn't get to see her until someone else wears the Helmet."

"Do you want to wear the Helmet?" asked Batman quietly.

"No! I told Cass that too when she asked," said Wally firmly. In a softer tone he added, "I just- I don't want him to have to be a part of that Helmet forever."

"Nothing is forever," said Batman in his most gravelly and knowledgeable tone, one that after six children and a team of superheroes consisting of Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen, he'd managed to master said tone like Alfred had subtle refinery, "Every day something in our lives change. Someone changes. We become new people. It doesn't take more than a minute for life to present you with challenges that make or break you. That's why we're here, dressed the way we are, doing what we do. It's not fair to Mr. Nelson, yes, but he knew what he was risking. He made that choice to put the Helmet on, and to stay with it. And if there's anything you should respect in another person, it's commitment. If a person can commit to something with their lives, above all else, then that's admirable. And you shouldn't pity them for that, ever."

Wally listened carefully to his father's words, basking in that knowledge as he felt the hand draw him just a shift closer. It was the best his father could do to initiate hugs while dressed as Batman, something Wally had never understood, but appreciated nonetheless as he wrapped his own arms tightly around his father's waist.

"But why?" asked Wally softly, feeling a sudden lump rising in his throat, "What about if he didn't deserve that? What if he should have been happy? Why can't he just be happy?"

"You can't save the world Kid," said Batman softly, holding his son to his chest, "That's something we learn the hard way. Putting on the mask, the cowl, the cape, the helmet- all that means is that we agree to honour our duties to helping others. Above everything else. I know it hurts, for him, but that's okay. It's okay to hurt. Hurting just means you've got something to fight for the next time life knocks you down."

Wally sniffled. There were no tears, he'd already cried out after hearing the news the first time. But it was enough for his father to ignore the initial beeping sounds from the spectrometer and just be held in that ortress of warmth that was his father's arms in the cool kevlar costume. And revel in feeling secure. In feeling safe. In feeling okay.

* * *

By the time Kid Flash and Batman had synthesized a temporary solution, they were on their way to the warehouse. Judging from the presence of the Lazarus Pit in such a high concentration, the Batman had gone through every ancient tome about the Lazarus in the small library in the Bat-Cave, trying to find a temporary cure. There was no permanent cure for this mad creature, but theoretically speaking, the composition of the Lazarus mixed with the condition of the man suggested that his composition was entirely like living clay. Which meant the solution was just that. A solution.

Batman and Kid Flash had managed to deduce that to get to Clay-Face, they'd need to soak the monster in as much water as possible. While he'd still be in control, they'd electrocute him. Whatever organ-like systems he had would be attacked by the electricity thanks to the water flowing inside of him and hopefully, he'd pass out and be able to be scraped into an air-tight steel barrel. Batman had cornered his location at a warehouse where the Team had managed to enter and detain him. But their communication with the team had been cut off almost ten minutes ago.

That was never a good sign.

Wally raced to the warehouse on foot, ahead of the Bat-mobile. He had to get the sprinklers on and soak this thing until Batman came and electrocuted the monster. Clay-Face was going down.

Entering the warehouse, Wally was most definitely taken aback at the sight. Clayface was suffocating M'gann and Superboy and Kaldur. Robin was knocked unconscious and slung up in the air beside Artemis as the monster cried out.

"I have done it master! I killed the baby sidekicks!"

Wally's breath hitched. He went a little nuts. He couldn't see straight. The monster was  _killing_  them and he'd been too late. Only this time they were actually dead. Not like Nelson. They were dead and there was no way Wally would ever see them again. No possibility.


	24. Winding Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Clay-Face mission wraps up, and Superboy and Kaldur set out on a journey of self-discovery.

By the time Wally regained control of his emotions, he realized that he'd wasted four full minutes in shock. The downside of being a speedster was that he'd just gone through a dilated time period where he'd felt like four hours had passed after said realization, and he was panicking now. How long had the team been under? Snapping back into his senses, he began observing the situation, letting the ingrained Batman-training take over.

For some reason, Clay-Face looked slippery. The texture of the samples they'd managed to get hadn't been as dark or runny as the monster was now. In particular, Wally noticed that one of the mounds he was choking (he refused to think of which friend it might be) was leaky. Water. Kaldur. Kaldur had his water-bearers and was soaking the thing from the inside.

The sudden realization had Wally grasping at his costume, his hands running over the fabric, searching the latches and digging for his tools. Out came a lightning-bolt shaped disc, built just ten minutes prior to his arrival. Wally always had shitty aim, but with a creature of this size, it would hardly matter. First things first though, he had to get Kaldur and the others out.

Digging in the same latch on his right-side hip of the thin belt, he retrieved six tiny red marbles. Swallowing heavily, Kid sped as quickly as he could, avoiding any of the slippery muddy residue that Clay-Face was leaking as he tossed the marbles directly towards Artemis and Robin. The minute the marbles made contact with the clay, they exploded and Kid was catching the two from the air to help cushion their falls. He tossed them gently to the side of the warehouse by the crates.

They were both out, though Artemis seemed to be stirring. He didn't have time though as he kept moving. This time, the slippery creature was reaching out for him, and a marble was wasted on blasting one of those tendrils away. The third marble was rolled at the largest looking hulk of clay, and upon impact, exploded to reveal an in-tact Superboy. The impact of the explosion had resounded around the clay beside him, revealing M'gann's tired and dainty looking face, knocked out and possibly dead. Kid swallowed heavily as he tossed the last marble in the direction of Kaldur.

Heat was the last thing the Atlantean needed on his road to recovery, but Kid had no choices. He'd rather increase Kaldur's odds for survival than let them remain the same. Even if it meant his friend would be destabilized for the next few days. To his immense relief, and joy, Kaldur was not knocked out like the others. By the time the clay was off of him, Kaldur was able to regain his breath. The water in the clay had been wrapped around his gills, ensuring he got oxygen. Clay-face had forgotten to account for the part-fish side of his friend.

"Aqualad!" cried Wally, totally inappropriately barraging into his friend and hugging the crap out of him.

Clay-Face was forgotten in that moment. Which was probably not the smartest thing to do as Kaldur was still disoriented and Clayface had started to reform from the small mound he was, as he grew into a larger mass, soon reaching the height of the warehouse.

"Kid?" asked Kaldur, suddenly on edge and shoving him away, wincing at the bleeding of his hand where the newly formed flesh and stitches were torn, shocking Kid Flash as he backed off, looking surprised and a little hurt.

"Whoops! Did I hurt something? Areyou _alright_?" asked Kid, looking uneasy.

"Are you real- Nevermind," said Aqualad, as he turned to see the monster, cackling loudly now as he grew.

"I'll just kill all of you!" it yelled, a large, massive tree-sized arm of clay striking out towards them.

With his good hand, Aqualad sliced at the clay using his water-bearer. Like before, the water did nothing, merely slicing the clay and letting the hand that was reaching out have to start over in growth. However, it was enough of a time lapse that Kid Flash was able to whisk them away to the side.

"Kaldur," said Kid Flash quickly, "Get it wet!"

"What?" asked the Atlantean, a little stunned, but nodding nonetheless as he whipped the water at the main mass of clay, hacking this way and that, mostly creating splashes of water to rip at the creature.

"It needs to get wet and then be electrocuted. It can't feel anything when it's injured because it literally only needs one cell to survive and keep growing. It's some morphed magical thing. But once it's wet, we can electrocute all it's cells and stun the creature long enough to detain it. Batman's bringing a container," explained Kid Flash, as quickly but understandable as possible.

"Very well then," said Aqualad with a nod, his limp hand trailing after him as he continued to strike the creature, "I shall keep it busy. Disable the sprinkler system in here Kid Flash!"

Kid nodded, and dug into his costume, removing two more marbles from his shoulder pads. He grinned as he ran, using the traction in his boots to run along the wall and towards a set of stairs along the edge. Kaldur was able to keep the creature mostly by ducking behind the boxes and attracting it's attention. Wally spared Kaldur one last worried look before tossing his marbles at the top of the warehouse roof. The explosion triggered a small fire, and sure enough, the sprinkler system released it's water.

Aqualad stopped his jumping around at that. The water-bearer suddenly seemed more impressive, as his tattoos started glowing that eery blue. They sparked as the electricity danced through the water, striking the creature which gave out a loud, ground-shaking wail of pain. Kid Flash limply tossed his lightning-bolt shaped Kid-Flash-arang, which sparked and sizzled, but barely caused the impact that Aqualad had done, before the creature fell into a limp mass of clay.

And then Batman arrived.

* * *

By the time Clay-Face was collected and loaded into the tub, Bruce was exhausted. They'd sealed the monster into a container specifically meant to transport radioactive and hazardous materials, with precise instructions not to open the container. Zatara had placed a magical barrier on the container itself to ensure that any of the Lazarus effects could not ooze out of the container, and to permanently seal the thing once the lid was shut. Batman had made sure to scoop every last dollop of the giant mass into the container just to be certain they'd locked it up and their would be no reformations.

When he arrived at the mountain base, the scene was not all that dire as it had been two hours ago. Robin and Artemis both had concussions, Robin's a bit more severe than Artemis as he still had a bad headache. No patrol for a week should suffice. He'd been given some acetaminophen to help him out. Superboy and Miss Martian were still out, both having been choked for all most five minutes by the clay before Kid had freed them. Both were placed on ventilators, Superboy having the most likely chance to improve his condition first. M'gann's alien respiratory system meant that she primarily breathed carbon dioxide, and it simply needed to reach any part of her skin to be breathed and she could go longer without an air supply than humans could. She'd tried morphing within the creature, and they weren't sure if she had ingested any toxins from the creature.

"How are they doing?" asked Batman gently to Kid Flash, the first person he saw. His son was sitting beside Superboy, looking young in his too-large Kid Flash hoodie and glasses.

"Better," said Kid quietly, "M'gann's heart rate is back to normal, but they're sedated. Red Tornado wanted to make sure that any clay M'gann may have accidentally ingested while trying to morph her physiology through the creature to reach the air is entirely out. They're detoxing her slowly. J'onn's helping him. I'm just watching the vitals to make sure they're okay. Artemis and Robin went to sit with Kaldur since neither were really up for watching the machines. Artemis was just in here to check on them."

"And Superboy's condition?" asked Batman quietly.

"He was just sedated as a precaution. Y'know how Kryptonians are with magic, it can mess them up but he'll be up soon," said Kid with a shrug, "Robin's with Kaldur right now. He's back in a cast and Artemis is holding his hand down in the water and threatening to stab him with an arrow if he pulls a stunt like that again."

Batman narrowed his eyes, remembering the leader's less than stellar decisions and nodded. He gave Kid Flash one last, appraising glance, before exiting the room. He understood why Kaldur had acted the way he had, why he had charged in. Teenage hormones combined with growing insecurities were problems Batman had dealt with ever since he'd had Damian land up on his door and try and kill him to get Batman to work with him. And he'd only been keeping up with it since between Tim, Jason, Dick and Wally.

"May I have a word?" asked Batman, approaching the other three teens sitting in the second med-bay room.

Kaldur was propped up in the hospital bed with two IV's, one of blood and the other of salt-water pumping into his system. His hand was wrapped in a brace and secured inside the cast. He looked a bit peaky, but otherwise well. Dick gave him a tired smile, before it fell. A tell tale sign that Dick was dizzy. He always grimaced when he was feeling disoriented.

"Sure thing," said Robin, standing up and stumbling before Batman gripped his shoulder. Artemis was beside him in a second, wrapping an arm around Robin's waist and throwing a quick glance at them. She was less disoriented, and looked exhausted, but otherwise well.

Once they were alone, Batman turned to Kaldur and sighed inwardly. He didn't sit, because this was not his son. This was a boy who had military training and thus responded best to a stern talking to from his superior. He was a soldier first, than his son's friends.

"I don't doubt you realize that aggravating your injury was the worst thing you could have done tonight," said Batman firmly, as Kaldur kept silent and met Batman's eyes with shame in his own light green, "But you made a series of mistakes tonight that jeopardized your team and put you all at risk. Why?"

Kaldur, the smart boy that he was, realized this was not an invitation for an excuse, but rather a direct order as he replied, "I made a mistake and overestimated my own abilities, as well as that of the team in fighting an unknown opponent with powers we did not understand."

"Overestimated your abilities or tried to prove something?" replied Batman coolly, and Kaldur didn't respond, a hesitant look in his eye. He'd struck true. "I don't care what you were trying to prove, but either you are the leader of this team, or you aren't. Figure it out."

The Atlantean nodded, and Batman left, not waiting to decide if the kid had gotten his message. Either he gained some confidence in his own ability to lead, or he stepped down. Batman sighed again on the inside, before making a decision he thought should help the kid in the long run.

* * *

When Superboy woke up, the first thing he realized was that he could breathe. It was startling as he blinked and then inhaled. He felt something stuck in his nose, and gave a grunt before tearing it out and then spitting out the rest. The second sensation he felt was a sudden light tap, and an immense sensation of warmth.

He turned to find a small, red-head wrapped around his torso. His body immediately reacted negatively, and he pushed with all his force. Kid Flash went flying to the ground, as Superboy felt his pulse quicken and the knots in his stomach tighten and twist. Kid Flash looked up apologetically at the wide-eyed Kryptonian, and stood up, dusting himself off as Superboy suddenly remembered how to breathe.

"Areyouokay? Ishouldn't- I shouldn't have ambushed you," said Kid nervously, "Sorry."

"It's okay," said Superboy, and then he got out of the bed and turned to see M'gann, still knocked out and looking peaceful, "What happened?"

"Clay-Face surprise attacked, M'gann may have clay in her body and needs to be detoxed, you were sedated, Kaldur's hurt, but Clay-Face is locked up," said Kid with a shrug, "Robin and Artemis are okay, they're with Kaldur right now. How about you?"

"Fine," said Superboy, digesting the information slowly. The mission was a success, that was good to know.

There was a sudden rumble in the room, and Superboy looked startled. It was loud and obnoxious and he couldn't pinpoint it. It was- Oh. Kid Flash was looking to Kaldur's room longingly. But the noise was coming from his torso. More specifically, his stomach. He was hungry.

"You haven't eaten," pointed out Superboy, confused. Kid Flash always ate.

"Oh, yeah," said Kid, looking surprised as he glanced at his belly, "Let's grab a Lightspeed bar and go check on Kaldur before we come back to sit vigil with M'gann."

"Okay," said Superboy with a nod, and a last glance at M'gann. Kid Flash went over and rearranged the Martian girl's blankets, before they headed to the kitchen.

He followed Kid Flash out of the room to the kitchen. The younger boy was already speeding around, the Lightspeed bar forgotten once in front of the fridge. He was digging through it, fetching all the ingredients for a sandwich. By the time he reached the pantry, he was jumping to grab a bag of chips. They were sour cream and onion. The only person who ate them was Kid.

Without thinking about it, Superboy moved behind Kid and outstretched an arm and plucked out the chips. As he was getting them, he felt his nostrils filling with a comfortable scent that was Kid. It was the familiar milk and honey with that chemical scent. He inhaled it, not realizing he was standing entirely too close as he breathed it in. Nor did he realize that he'd stepped closer, trapping Kid Flash between his body and the counter.

"Supey?" came Kid's voice, sounding confused and breaking through Superboy's haze.

"Uh- Am I interrupting?" came a voice, and Superboy turned to see Artemis, staring at the both of them with an unreadable expression.

"Here," said Superboy, before he stomped off.

Again, he felt strange and scared. It was that feeling of unexplainable urges. Why was his body acting this way?

* * *

The team stared at Batman from beside M'gann's bedside. A full weekend off, no missions or training. It was all about recuperating from recent losses and organizing themselves. Nobody said anything, but they all felt a little relieved. The last two missions had been a bit much. Off the team went, Kid and Robin first, chatting away together. Superboy retired to his room, to hide away. And Aqualad made plans to head home to Atlantis.


	25. Downtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid Flash heads off for a vacation to Central. Superboy begins to question the sanctity of his own mind.

“So you're really leaving?” asked Superboy, gruff and with fists clenched, standing at the doorway to Kaldur's room, feeling entirely too strange and upset about this matter. It was another thing that was easily rationalized with anger. In fact, he'd broken two of the sand-bags in the gym after Kaldur had announced said declaration of his departure to an unsuspecting M'gann and himself at dinner the previous night. 

The Atlantean in question merely gave a small smile at his friend, and nodded to the chair in his room. Awkwardly, the Kryptonian walked over to the chair. He had seen this gesture before on television, or so he presumed. Either he was supposed to sit in the chair, or he was supposed to take the chair some place, or the chair was actually some kind of evil monster that needed slaying. Unsure what to do, Superboy merely stood beside the chair, keeping an eye on it. He doubted their leader had an evil monster chair, but it was generally wiser to wait for further prompting than assume a social cue. Embarrassment did not suit the tender temper of the Kryptonian teenager. 

“Please, take a seat,” said Kaldur, as he continued to methodically roll up his clothes and tightly pack them away in his carry-on. Military style. Superboy had similar training embedded in his memory. Nevertheless, he followed Kaldur's instructions and sat down, despite feeling entirely too uncomfortable about it.

“So you're really leaving?” repeated Superboy, glaring at Kaldur, daring him to agree.

“Not forever,” said Kaldur gently, “Just for the weekend. I have not visited Atlantis for the last two months. I wish to meet some old friends and see my parents, as well as visit my home.”

“Why?” asked Superboy, the childish response slipping from him. But he didn't rescind it. He just couldn't understand. What was so special about parents? The closest thing he had to a father was never around. What was so special about home? The mountain seemed so familiar now, but Superboy wasn't particularly attached. It just felt like a nice place to stay. But it was impersonal.

Like Kaldur's room. The room was barren save for a small aquarium that had some sea plants in it. The desk had a few books, both Atlantean and English mixed in, as well as what looked like Latin. The sheets were the standard grade blue and white. The walls were the similar steel colour, with a small picture of Atlantis hanging above the bed. Overall, it was a bit more homey than Superboy's own room, which lacked all the decor that Kaldur, but it was still detached and unfeeling.

“I wish to gain some perspective,” said Kaldur easily, “I feel like I have spent far too much time away from home. I want to see my old friends. But I promise to come back.”

It was strange, but the promise settled well with Superboy. Despite M'gann's daytime dramas being filled with broken promises, Superboy had gotten used to having his promises fulfilled by his friends. He trusted them fully to keep up their end of the bargain as best as they could. If Kaldur promised that he'd return, than he would. Simple.

“Okay,” said Superboy with a nod.

“While I am gone, I believe you should ask M'gann to do a mental sweep for you,” said Kaldur, and Superboy started at that.

“Why?” asked Superboy, a little bit more aggressive than necessary. But he didn't like the idea of a probe in his mind.

Kaldur hesitated, before closing his suitcase and turning to Superboy with very sympathetic eyes. The leader looked hesitant, before he sat down beside his pack and glanced at Superboy again.

“They looked over the abilities of the creature, and Batman informed me that it is unable to perform any telepathic abilities,” said Kaldur hesitantly, “Which means that whatever was in your head was another foreign interference. The only way to properly determine what it is would be to have The Martian Manhunter or M'gann take a look in your mind. Batman acquiesced to allow you the decision, but until the issue is sorted, you are not allowed on any future missions.”

Superboy was stunned as he took in those words, staring at his friend and trying to comprehend what exactly that meant. He was- infected? There was something else in his head? Like the G-gnome that had escaped and tried to come after him when he'd first moved into the cave? He suddenly felt vile and disgusting. He wanted to rip his brain out of his skull, and indeed, his hand went to his head instinctively. His natural urge to destroy the problem was failing him in this moment.

“I- I have something inside me?” asked Superboy, eyes wide and a strange, clammy feeling in his body. He felt uneasy, sick almost. Like he was being squeezed alive and his throat was dry but his eyes surprisingly moist.

“I am sorry, my friend,” said Kaldur gently, “But it is merely a precaution. It may be an outside source that was chasing after you, or any of us. But we want to be sure. Please, do not panic my friend.”

Kaldur had this naturally relaxing tone. Superboy felt his blood slow, and his heart rate drop from it's accelerated pace. He nodded, unable to speak. Kaldur sighed, and gave Superboy the very gentle shoulder pat. A sign Superboy had begun to associate with comfort. He thrived under that touch, and Kaldur smiled down at him gently. Superboy nodded, not sure what he was agreeing to, but the motion felt familiar and nice.

“I- I'll talk to M'gann,” said Superboy with a nod, a firm nod, “I- I'll get this fixed, I promise!”

“I know you will, my friend,” said Kaldur with a smile, “Now, walk with me to the zeta beams?”

Superboy nodded, and followed Kaldur out of his room. The doors shut behind them. It was silent and peaceful, walking with Kaldur. Neither of them needed much words to communicate, but the was okay. It just made them more at ease with each other. And Superboy let himself stew as he waved good bye to their leader and friend.

* * *

It was the perfect time for a holiday. They really couldn't have picked a better weekend, and Wally was suspicious that Bruce had picked this day out specifically for this moment. They were headed to Central, as Wally Wayne, Dick Grayson-Wayne, Jason Wayne, and Bruce Wayne. They had gotten onto their jet, and Jason had headed for his seat before curling up for a nap to get through their late night flight. Bruce was typing up mission reports, and Wally was curled up beside Dick, being as annoying as possible as Dick tried to text the many people at school.

School was starting up soon, and Dick had to return to his role of societal billionaire's son. During the summer, his patrols as Robin often meant he wasn't in school, so he played up the role of the billionaire brat that liked to travel and was a bit eccentric due to his circus origins to explain his disappearance from the social world. But, he had a reputation involving a tonne of girls falling over themselves to get a piece of the Wayne fortune pie, or so Jason described the situation. Dick never dated any, but he had to be polite and flirt around, making sure to live up to the reputation he'd cultivated as Dick Grayson.

And that bugged the crap out of Wally.

It was so irritating to be the youngest brother to a family of attractive oddities. Damian played the role of brusque yet intriguing, gay son that loafed around as an aspiring artist. Tim was the polite genius. Jason was the family bad-boy that ran around with anything that had breasts. Dick was the charming, slightly eccentric and very social son with an array of questionable talents explained away with a circus origin despite having only been five years old when he was pulled out. Wally was the youngest who had yet to really become someone in the Gotham pages. They knew he was smart, but Tim had already filled the niche as the smart kid. And Wally could hardly do the polite society-billionaire stuff Tim did. He didn't know what his identity as a Wayne son was.

Heck, he didn't even know who he was.

He was still debating the gay issue, that had really taken a back-seat since Dr. Fate. He still didn't know how he was going to behave in high school. Dad, Damian and Dick had all told him to play up the bookish nerd side, and keep quiet and unobserved and thus be relatively unharmed. Jason had told him to fuck them all and just do whatever the hell he wanted. Tim, as always, had the best advice. He'd said to play up the shy genius boy, and stay out of people's way. He'd be able to stretch a year or two out of the spotlight that way until the Gotham Gab and the Gotham Gazette turned their eye onto Wally, depending on what Dick chose as a future career path.

“Wally! Quit it!” whined Dick, as Wally once again raced his fingers to type nonsense words on his brother's phone.

“Who're you texting now?” asked Wally, flippant and curious.

“Babs. Jenny went to sleep,” said Dick with a glare, “Oh, and Steph. Steph said Tim asked her to dinner as friends. I'm helping her pick her outfit.”

“Why?” asked Wally, taken aback.

“Well, they're still on a 'break', but Steph wants to prove she's not depressed about it so she has to look hot. And Babs is just whining about some guy at her karate class that tried to hit on her,” said Dick with a shrug.

“Why does Steph want to dress up? Tim thinks she's pretty anyways,” said Wally with a shake of his head, confused.

“Well, it's this thing girls do. And guys sometimes. You just make yourself look even hotter than normal so that the other person thinks their lucky or unlucky,” said Dick with a shrug, “Oh she should definitely wear that dress, whaddya think?”

He showed Wally a few pictures. Steph wearing an eggplant dress that dipped low and was cut short. Steph wearing a soft blue blouse that highlighted her eyes and a black pencil skirt. Steph's hair curled. Her hair straight. Her hair up in a bun. Shoes. Lots of shoes.

“I don't get it. They all look the same,” said Wally, nose scrunched, “She looked nice in the dress, and in the skirt. I liked blue better.”

“I'll tell her that,” said Dick with a nod. “Don't worry about it kiddo. You're not going on a date, so it's not your problem.”

And he was back to ignoring Wally. Just great. Oh well, at least Jay wouldn't ignore him when they got to his place to celebrate his ninetieth birthday. Though the comment about dating lingered in the back of his mind.

* * *

A full day had passed since Kaldur had left, and Superboy had made no moves to approach M'gann yet. He was nervous, unsure. He had approached her room late at night, only to leave. He didn't want the confirmation that he was being followed. That his mind wasn't safe anymore. He'd taken a long walk late at night. Eventually he'd ended up somewhere on the opposite side of the city and the sun was rising. It was a beautiful thing to see.

But it wasn't satisfying.

His mind had a strange, unknown force inside of it. And he needed to go to M'gann. The longer he delayed himself, the greater the chance that it could take control of him, destroy him. Put his team in danger. His friends. Swallowing back the bile that rose at that thought, Superboy turned and headed back to the mountain. His advanced senses let him know which way to go. He could see the mountain from a great distance. By the time he was in the forest by the mountain, he could rely on smell to point the way to the mountain, hear the familiar whirs of the generator once he was close, and then he was at the entrance and typing his code.

Slowly, Superboy let his senses take over. He could hear M'gann's heart beat, the pitter patter of her feet, which were interrupted by her floating some distances. Kitchen cupboards opened and shut. She was cooking breakfast. Probably something like pancakes. She'd been getting better with those. They no longer came out black, but they were still lumpy and squiggly shaped instead of flat and fluffy and round.

He followed the sounds into the kitchen, where the alien girl was hovering. She didn't notice him, so he paused in the doorway. He had never been good at figuring out how to make an entrance. So he waited for her to spot him. It wouldn't be long. She had a pretty acute way of picking up on people's presences.

Sure enough, within a minute, she was spinning around and beaming at him. She waved with one hand, shaking the milk around as she did so, and spilling it on the ground. A little gasp, and then she was off, talking too fast for Superboy to keep up with or care as she cleaned up the mess. Instead, he used her momentary distraction to take tentative steps forward, approaching her cautiously as he entered the kitchen.

“-And the milk is important for the consistency! Thank goodness we bought some the other day otherwise there wouldn't be enough for the recipe! I was going to break some of the Choco bits into the batter. Uncle J'onn said it would be great!”

“M'gann,” said Superboy tersely, breaking her off from her tirade about Chocos, whatever that was, and causing the girl to turn and face him, her eyes roving across his face, searching.

“Yes Superboy?” she asked gently, looking far too understanding at the moment, but Superboy didn't know why.

“I need you to give me a mind sweep,” said Superboy, gritting his teeth as he forced those words out.

Again, Miss Martian didn't seem the slightest bit surprised by this. Instead, she nodded, and set all the ingredients down. Her eyes didn't meet his as she moved, and Superboy frowned. Finally, M'gann turned and smiled very gently and soothingly as she said, “Why don't you sit down and I can start?”

* * *

It was early morning Central time, when they arrived. The first thing that happened was their trip to the airport. It was astoundingly awkward to arrive at the airport when people knew you were coming. The media was already there to capture a picture of the infamous Bruce Wayne and his trio of sons. Particularly the youngest and oldest in the bunch. As Wally Wayne had yet to make a real media debut, most of his pictures were those captured from family portraits or from a distance. And since he was thirteen now and old enough to start high school and make mistakes, the media wanted to see him all the time. Jason was a walking wild cannon. Anything he did could guarantee a news channel some prime-time gossip. 

Wally shifted awkwardly in his clothes. He was dressed in a Batman hoodie, with jeans. His red hair was dyed it's familiar dull brown as a part of his civilian disguise. When Wally was younger, the red hair had been the easiest way to identify him at a social gala or media event or even just at school. Media vultures, debutantes and kidnappers alike flocked to the little red-headed boy to try their hand at getting a piece of the Waynes. The brown hair dye suited the Gotham atmosphere, and made it harder to pick up one which kid was Wally Wayne. He'd brushed it neatly and used the styling gel to spike it up, like Jason. Dick used the gel to look suave (dorky) as he styled his hair perfectly to the left, slightly over his eye.

“Mr. Wayne! What's the occasion for your visit to Central?!”

“Is it true that Jezebel Jet and you were seen in Luxembourg last weekend?”

“Are your sons accompanying you for business or is this a family trip?”

“Mr. Grayson-Wayne, are you excited for school? Any girls catch your eye?!”

“Mr. Grayson-Wayne, any after school plans yet?!”

“Mr Todd-Wayne, are the rumours about your affair with Isabelle Ardilla true? Are the claims that you requested her as a private air-hostess true?”

“Do you believe your womanizing ways are product of your time on the streets of Gotham or as a result of your father's upbringing Mr. Todd-Wayne?”

“Mr. Wally Wayne, what are your feelings on high-school?”

“Any girls catch your eye? Boys?”

The media questions fired off as they landed. Bruce placed a steady hand on Wally's shoulder, tucking him under his left arm as Dick walked beside Wally, waving carelessly and winking at a pretty young reporter probably sent to entice any of the Wayne men's attention. Wally started at the question about the boys, while Jason glowered at anyone that came to close, before removing a cigarette from from the pocket of his leather jacket.

“At least wait until we're outside,” muttered Bruce, glaring irritably at Jason, while the other man returned it with a cocky grin of his own, cigarette limp between his lips.

“Screw you old man,” said Jason, with about as much venom and affection as he could muster.

The media loved it. Wally was pretty sure they would be replaying this scene for years to come. It was no where close to the top ten Jason Todd-Wayne moments on Youtube, but it was enough to guarantee the next big thing when discussing teenage rebellion. Bruce merely sighed, and then went about pretending Jason wasn't there as his brother wrapped an arm around Dick and started whispering in his ear. Probably about boobs or booze or both. Judging from the grin Jason sent the flirty young reporter, it was probably boobs.

As the group finally reached their limo, Wally and Dick were shuttled inside first, as Bruce turned to give an impromptu interview to the nearest reporter to quench their thirsts. He gave his best, charming dad look as he said, “I just wanted to give the boys a treat before they headed back to school this year, and I thought a weekend in Central would be the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sights. Yes, I am donating to the Gem City funds for orphans and will be at the gala tonight. That will be all.”

A volley of suggestions was tossed for places to visit, most likely from sponsors of their channels and shows. Jason was dragged by his collar into the car, but not before slipping that reporter a card.

“Must you be a nuisance at these events?” asked Bruce to Jason, once they were seated.

Alfred was already in the driver's seat, ready to lead the group to their hotel for the morning, where they'd sleep before discretely heading to Jay's place, while Bruce and Jason staged a distraction for the first two hours or so at the gala the Keystone and Central orphanages were throwing as a thank-you for Bruce's generous donation. For some reason, people always assumed that just because Bruce was donating money, they had to throw him a party of honour just so he could present a large, fancy cheque in front of the news stations.

“Always,” said Jason coolly, but his cheeky grin betrayed the affectionate gesture.

“Let's just get to the hotel so I can get some sleep before Iris grabs all of you boys and gives me a break,” said Bruce with a sigh.

“Until I come back for the free brooze and  _whore_  d'oeuvres,” reminded Jason, a sardonic grin on his face as he pulled out the reporter's card from his pocket and waved it around like a trophy. 

“Great,” said Bruce with an eye roll. 


	26. Interlude: Requests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the request chapter stories, featuring Wally as he grew up.

**Requested by AMMO121:**

Tim was training in meditation, self-control, and keeping a poker face. He had a reputation for being the hard-ass of the family. Damian's indulgences were obvious- Colin, his family (besides Bruce when they were arguing and the Al Ghul side), and stray animals. Jason was filled with soft spots- any of his vices (smoking, booze, the occasional recreation drug that Bruce pretended didn't exist, women that flashed skin in his general vicinity), his family (Okay, not really, mostly just Wally, Cass, Dick and Alfred) and orphans. Dick was easy to guess as well- The Circus and his family. Cass was a bit trickier, but she was just too adept at reading body language to give hers away, but her fondness for her family was apparent in the stoic girl, as well as her fondness for Stephanie, plus her insecurity about her origins. Bruce, reasonably should have no weak points, but he had so many that it was really easier to just file them in alphabetical and chronological order after categorizing them by women he slept with, women he actually cared for, family, and friends respectively. Alfred was his own entire category in Bruce's list of weaknesses.

Tim knew that reasonably, he was probably guessable where his softer sides were. He didn't deny he had an attraction to Stephanie that was probably a bit crippling, but she was his first in every sense of that euphemism, and she'd been around since he was a kid. But it was manageable. He could deny Stephanie and ignore her because as the years passed, he began to profile her, and he saw past his blonde angel for all the dark secrets she had. He knew she was flawed and strong all at once. He knew when to push her aside and when to ignore her.

Then he probably had weaknesses for his family. But in reality, he barely got along with Damian and Jason on good days. Jason, it was easier to deal with, but they agreed a long distance relationship was better. And oftentimes, Tim felt more like Jason's therapist than brother. Dick was likable, but again, so easy to read that it was easy to block his younger brother out. He indulged Cass, but only because he could assess her requests with a cool eye and because they were so rare.

Even Wally, with the infamous big-green-eyes attack that he utilized so well after Jason had taught him that trick, was easy to push away. More often than not, Tim had to return to his psychological assessment of his youngest brother, and he'd remember that Wally was impulsive, brash, and probably being manipulated by Dick or Jason. They took too much of an advantage of the kid.

Despite his assessment, however, here he was, being stared at by a six year old that needed a hair cut and bounced on his heels far too much. Probably he'd just eaten a cookie or something. And Tim was nearly sixteen. This would be humiliating. Not to mention probably trash his reputation.

"Please? There's no one else who can!" asked Wally, now reaching out and tugging on the leg of his jeans.

"No," said Tim firmly. He had will-power. He would not bend.

"Pretty please?" asked Wally, a cheeky little grin lifting the tips of his lips upwards as his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

"No," said Tim again, determined not to give in.

"Oh," said Wally, blinking furiously now. Tears were threatening to pour over.

Damn.

"Fine," said Tim, gritting his teeth.

* * *

 

Three hours later, Tim found himself in the backyard, facing down Wally. Wally was dressed in the Flash costume from Halloween. Tim was wearing an absurd blue parka and sunglasses. His hair was gelled, and he was putting on the thickest, mid-Western accent he could. Wally was grinning ear to ear as he ran around Tim, who was waving the toy- well, not really a toy.

After hacking Batman's security cameras and sensors, he'd filched Mr. Freeze's ray from the Bat-Cave, and made a few quick alterations to lower the temperature and make the deathly tool harmless, like a water-gun. Two hours later, Batman would be framing a picture of 'Captain Cold' and the 'Flash' for his living room wall.

* * *

**Requested by MythologyGirl:**

Bruce Wayne stared at the childish scrawl on the page, trying and failing to come to terms with it. It was, in fact, the same request that Wally had made for Christmas. The kid's birthday and Christmas were so close together that he'd made out the request to Santa, Batman and daddy. A triple whammy that had left Bruce with an enormous sense of guilt, self-loathing and confusion.

It was Wally's first birthday at Wayne Manor, as well as his first Christmas. Last year didn't count, considering Wally had been still adjusting and it was filled with new things and changes. This year was a true celebration, and the soon to be five year old was apparently comfortable enough to pull a stunt like this.

For written across the stationary, some of the finest Alfred probably owned, in childish scribble with an inappropriate red crayon, was the request that had left Bruce thunderstruck. Just one word too.  _Flash._

Bruce had no idea what that entailed. Obviously, Wally wanted to see his childhood hero (and Bruce denied being upset over not having that role). However, how was he supposed to present his child with the Flash?

A regular parent wouldn't have this problem. They'd merely tell their child that it would happen. Then they'd plan a trip to Central City, coinciding with one of the Flash's meet and greet moments, and wait in a long line for several hours before shaking the hand of the hero and getting a picture in front of some monument that was erected in honour of the Flash. If luck was on their side, or if they were smart, they'd time it so that any of the Flash's Rogues didn't interrupt and put their lives in jeopardy.

But Bruce wasn't a regular parent. That would not satisfy his son. Nor could Bruce Wayne get in a line for hours and not put his person at jeopardy for theft or attack. He was also Batman. Being Batman meant his son knew that a cheap meeting with the Flash was a cop out of the real deal. Besides, Wally was too smart to not question if the person before him was really the Flash, or just a gimmick, or worse, a hologram. And Wally adored the Flash, he'd want the real thing.

Wally thought his father could do the impossible. Move mountains with a mere glance. Which he could, considering he had the money and access to technology and labour that would do it. Touch the moon. He'd done that twice already.

And worse. He'd introduced Dick to Superman for his birthday last year.

That was different. He knew Clark. They were friends. They'd dated the same woman. They'd beat up a few villains together. Life-long friends. The hillbilly was actually quite willing to don the cape and parade around his children for a few hours.

The Flash was an anomaly.

He'd met the Flash, once before. A team up of ice-villains had lead him to questioning the Flash on Captain Cold's involvement, only to be satisfied that Cold was locked up and thus not involved. The meeting had not gone well. The Flash had taken offence at Batman's brusque questions and slight accusations. In Bruce's defence, the man wore tight red spandex. It was justified to be rude to him. Hadn't anyone noticed that Superman looked like a fool with his red and blue combination? He had no respect for the heroes who tried to look friendly. What purpose did that serve?

This was going to be a problem.

* * *

Three weeks passed before Bruce found a solution. It was a teeth-pulling solution that had pissed him off more than anything, but it served it's purpose. Clark asked the Flash to meet him in Metropolis. Wally was dressed as a miniature Robin, and held on Batman's hip as the Flash followed Clark as Superman to their destined meeting point.

"What's going on daddy?" asked Wally, confused at being lead out like this.

Bruce glanced at his son, dressed in the tiny Robin costume that Dick had designed for himself to wear at Halloween. A red tunic with the yellow 'R', green fish-scale panties with matching pixie boots, and an obnoxious yellow cape. He looked adorable, his hair died black for the occasion and face blocked out by a black domino mask. The dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks was barely visible.

"Your birthday present," admitted Bruce, and Wally still looked confused. Oh well.

Batman shuffled, placing Wally on the ground. His son, predictably, stuck close. The warehouse was deserted, draughty and desolate. Hardly appropriate for a child. Wally clung to his cape, looking around in confusion.

"This is my present?" asked the boy, a little incredulous, a little disappointed.

"Wait," was all Bruce said, and then irately wondered what was keeping the Fastest Man alive and the Only Kryptonian alive so busy. Superspeed was no excuse to be late.

"Sorry we're late Batman," came the damned, annoying voice of one Superman, grating and kind and irritating.

"Batman?! What's going on here?" asked the even more annoying, mid-western accented drawl from behind Batman, which apparently his son had mesmerized, because the boy froze, flinched, and stared in one motion.

Behind the annoying hulk of blue and red was the obnoxious fire hydrant himself. He was staring at Batman, apparently unobservant as he ignored Wally entirely. Good. His eyes were narrowed behind that pathetic excuse for a cowl, and the chapped peach lips, the only visible part that was bearable to look at since the spandex was far too bright, were curled into a scowl.

"It- Flash!" gasped Wally, finding whatever voice he could, before turning bright red.

That alerted the Flash to the presence of the miniature that was attached to the leg of the Batman. He stared, and stared, and stared some more. The scowl had slipped for a dropped jaw that only emphasized his moronic appearance. Superman was grinning like some smug fool. Batman was ignoring them all.

"Isn't Robin a teenager?" asked Flash, bewildered, before the face morphed into a pleasant smile, and he was suddenly beside the boy, bent down and smiling, "Hi there! Robin, right?"

Wally jumped at the sudden movement, and fell backwards into his father's cape. Batman used his leg to steady the boy, arms still crossed, but now glaring ferociously at Flash for startling the kid. He was obviously in shock. How did this idiot become a well-loved hero?

"Er, I'm the Flash," said Flash, redundantly, holding out his hand.

Wally was still silent, but Bruce knew what his expression was without even looked at him. Wide-eyed, pink lips opened into a wide little 'o' shape, face a furious red, probably matching the lurid tunic. The little gloved hand reached out, gently clasping two of the Flash's fingers, and then tearing them away to stare at his own hand in awe. That glove would probably remain unwashed for months to come. Years even.

"Wa- Robin," corrected Superman, after receiving the dirtiest glare Batman could muster for his almost slip, "This is the Flash. He's here to wish you a happy birthday."

The Flash tossed Superman a stunned look, accompanied with a quick glare, before turning to Wally and grinning as he said, "Yeah- Yeah I am. Happy Birthday kiddo, can you tell me how old you are?"

Wally couldn't apparently find words, so he lifted his hand and showed five fingers. The Flash cooed over it. Batman was pretty sure that the Flash hated him, probably had severed some relationship with Superman, but whatever. He had instructed Clark not to tell the party favour about his intended role in the super secret mission. Besides, Central was a joke of a city anyways. If Batman and Superman could spare a few minutes of freedom from their own homes, surely the Flash could. Especially since he had the super-speed to make up for it.

Except for the minor detail that Wally seemed determined to stay glued to his spot, frozen like a statue as he stared up at the Flash. The domino mask did little to hide the blatant adoration in his son's face. It was irksome.

"Robin," said Batman gruffly, "What do we say when we meet new people?"

His littlest Robin turned to face him, tearing his eyes away from the hero of his dreams, before suddenly remembering his manners. Apparently Alfred was indoctrinating the boys at a young age.

"It- It's nice'tameetcha," said Wally, as quickly as possible, pouring the words out as fast as he could.

"It's nice to meet you too Robin," said Flash, sounding amused. Fucker.

"If you don't have anything to say, then we can leave," continued Batman, earning a reproachful glare from Superman, which he returned with baring his teeth in a snarl.

"He's just met his hero," mouthed Superman, knowing Batman could read his lips, "Let him enjoy the moment!"

Batman just stood still, glaring at Superman, daring him to question his fathering techniques. He didn't deny he was questionable at best where the role of father was concerned, but these were his kids, and Clark could shut the fuck up. He knew what he was doing. Mostly.

"How- run- fast?" breathed Wally, not realizing how garbled it sounded.

"I eat a lot," said Flash, apparently unphased at the way Wally was behaving, "To store up energy that I can burn later on. But how I got my powers? Well, that's a speedster secret."

Wally didn't even seem disappointed by this fact, as he nodded solemnly, before quietly saying, "I can keep a secret."

"I bet you can," said the Flash with a chuckle, "But to be honest, I don't even know the mechanics behind how I got my powers. It was an accident at work that resulted in this."

Wally nodded, again impressed by the vague non-answer. He went back to shy mode, clinging to Bruce's cape like a life line. The Flash was at an obvious loss, and Batman had no interest to aid the man. Instead, he let him flounder like the fool he was. Unfortunately, Clark just had to interfere.

"Why don't you tell him about one of your first missions?" suggested Clark with that annoying, grating grin of his.

"Ah, sure! Let me tell you about the first robbery I ever solved!" said the Flash cheerfully.

And so commenced story time.  _Joy._

* * *

By the end of the night, Robin had taken a picture with the Flash, and heard three full stories before Bruce had to draw him away to return to Gotham for the night. He'd left Damian and Tim to patrol together, and he had no doubts that one of them would return injured if he left them alone much longer. Despite his own irritation with the Flash, his heart had warmed at the way his son was behaving, and the pure joy that the little face reflected.

"Thank you daddy," said Wally, curled into his arm as he tucked his boy to bed that night, making sure to place the Batman plushy and the Flash doll under his arms. He was going through his monsters-under-the-bed phase. Unfortunately, those monsters had taken the shape of Two-Face, the Joker, Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy after he accidentally read some of Tim's mission reports.

"You're welcome kiddo," said Bruce, placing a gentle pat on Wally's head, before leaving the room to suit up for the night.

* * *

Finally, Bruce had made it to patrol. The joy of being able to patrol for the night and that Tim had only ended up with a sprained wrist from his fight with Damian had put the Batman into a good mood as he perched over the Gotham sky-line, eyes sharp and keen as he observed the cars speeding by. If he had the inclination or time, he'd probably clock their license plates and send them off to get speeding tickets. But nobody obeyed the speed limits in Gotham. It was a wasted effort.

The Bat-signal went up into the sky, alerting Batman of trouble. Immediately he swung away, flying through the buildings. Tim was at home, leaving this matter to himself. Gordon had probably got a lead on the missing children case he was working.

"Batman," said Jim Gordon, brown hair starting to grey from the stress of Gotham, round glasses perched on his nose, and trench coat solid.

It was nothing out of the ordinary. However, his guest was most definitely not a usual. Rather than the presence of the irritating Harvey Bullock, or the firm and cool Renee Montoya, he was graced with the fire-hydrant himself. Flash. What now?

"Why?" asked Batman, simple and to the point.

"He said he wanted a word, and asked politely to use the signal. Who was I to say no?" asked Gordon, looking more amused. He probably had details from the Flash about what was going on. Fucking Flash.

"Well?" asked Batman, turning his hawk-eyes onto the other hero.

"You tricked me into playing hero for a kid," said Flash, eyes narrowed, "Your kid if the rumours about you are true. 'Course, I didn't really think you got them young and raised them into soldiers. Training a replacement already?"

Batman automatically stiffened, and he saw Gordon tense as well. Neither had expected the Flash to be so bitter. Batman simply glared at Flash, and with all the arrogance taught to him by Gotham's high class society, he coldly said, "Your point?"

The Flash surprised him then, as he suddenly burst into a grin. If the fucker said anything Bruce was expecting, he'd flay him with his Batarang. Wally wouldn't miss the guy too much. Besides, his kid already had a picture.

"You're such a family man!" said the Flash with a laugh, "I told GL the entire story and he thought I should be more upset about being used, but I knew it! You're a total family man, aren't you? Aw man, I can't hate a guy that probably changes diapers during the day and reads bed-time stories to his kids! You're not a bad guy under all that Kevlar, are you Batman?"

Batman glared harder at Flash, completely floored at the suggestion. That- That was a test? The fucker had  _played_  him. But Batman was not embarrassed.

"Your. Point?" asked Bruce again, teeth gritted and furious. He was merely upset at being played. By _Flash_. He was not embarrassed at being caught having a heart.

"Next time, just ask instead of tricking me," said the Flash politely, "I like the kid, and I'm always willing to do a friend a favour. If you ever need some help, just ask! See you around Bats!"

He was gone before Bruce could blink. Since when were they friends? Idiot.

Jim Gordon had been watching the interaction with interest, unable to prevent the grin on his face. He turned to ask Batman if the details about a tiny Robin in pixie boots were true, only to realize the man had already disappeared. Oh well. He'd get the man next time. With a chuckle, Jim turned off the lamp and headed indoors, wondering if he could trick the Batman into meeting with his own daughter for her birthday.

* * *

**Requested by Ally-Marton and Flightfootkeyseeker**

It wasn't until Wally was seven years old that he was allowed to stay up late in the Bat-Cave and wait for his family to return from patrol. Dick had been granted the same privilege at seven, and Wally had been  _ginormously_  jealous at the time, but now he was here too. There were a few camp beds strewn about so that Wally and Dick could 'nap' in the Bat-Cave while their brothers patrolled. Jason was finally Robin now, and Cass had become Bat-Girl after Stephanie's brief stint in the role before becoming Spoiler since she felt Cass deserved to be Bat-Girl more, and that made the house even more lonely on patrol nights.

However, now that Wally could join his brothers, he was also expected to learn old case files and hacking tricks. Batman had sanctioned off cases for Dick and Wally to look at, mostly based around robberies. He was well acquainted with villains like the Riddler, Mr. Freeze and Catwoman.

Catwoman.

That was Wally's new focus. Of all the villains Batman had ever arrested, Catwoman had never been one. The seven year old found this far too strange. He'd tried to ask Tim about it, but Steph said that Batman was weak to her claws, and then Tim got all red and spluttered and the question was dropped. He'd asked Jason, who'd simply said that she was too hot to be hanged, whatever that meant. Damian had told him to ask father about it, but Wally didn't want to question his father's decisions. That was bad. Dick didn't understand much more than Wally did, so they had started to work together.

"She likes diamonds," said Dick, reading the files on the woman, "And expensive documents or secrets that she can sell to the international markets."

"And she uses a whip to fight," said Wally eagerly, "We can dodge a whip, right?"

"It also says she's nice to women and children," added Dick, "So it wouldn't be hard to trick her and make the arrest."

"Then dad will have to let us patrol with him!" concluded Wally with a grin.

"Alright, so if we think Catwoman is going to hit based on her pattern, then it should be sometime next week or so," said Dick conclusively, "'Cause there's going to be a large party held at the Fairview Hotel that Dad has to attend, and on this side of town Wayne Enterprises will be empty. She's been robbing Wayne related businesses for the last month, and with the investment Wayne Enterprises is making in cryogenics and flash freeze tech over at Star, those case files will be pretty important. Especially since the research is something our 'petitors want."

"So we got to sneak over to the filing department at Wayne Towers," said Wally thoughtfully, with a pensive look, "How do we do that?"

"Easy," said Dick flippantly, "We take the Wing-cycle, duh. Damian gave me the code to it when he ran off to stay with Colin again."

"When is he coming back?" asked Wally, pouting. "He promised he'd be back soon!"

"I dunno," said Dick with a shrug, "He loves Colin though, so they want to stay together. That's what Alfred said."

"Why can't Colin stay here?" asked Wally eagerly, "I can give him my room! I'll share with Jason!"

"No you won't brat," said a gruff voice, and they turned to see their twelve, almost thirteen year old brother enter the cave. Batman and Robin were back from patrol.

"Daddy! Jay!" squealed Wally, jumping off the bed and pushing the laptop off to hug them. Dick was behind him, moving a bit slower. He was too cool to get overexcited about that kind of stuff, but he was practically strangling Jason with his arms wrapped around his brother's neck while Wally was lifted up by Batman, who winced.

"Wassamatter? Where's Cass?" asked Wally quickly, reaching out to the injury.

"Just a deep cut," said Batman with a shake of his head, "Killer Croc was out on the loose tonight. Cassandra went home with Stephanie for a sleep-over."

"I kicked Croc in the head and he fell over cause he's a pussy!" crowed Jason, as he struggled to get Dick off of him, but the acrobat had manoeuvred himself into a piggy-back stance, squeezing Jason's arms to his body and trapping them under the cape.

"Language!" snarled Batman, but Jason wasn't the least bit fazed.

"Whoa?! Really?" gasped Wally, bouncing off of Batman and to his brother for the story. Jason was  _so_  cool! "I can't wait until I get to patrol! Do you think I'll be that good?"

"When you figure out your left foot from your right," jeered Jason playfully, as Wally's face fell and he flushed in embarrassment.

During training, he'd been failing with his kicks. It had gotten so bad that during his last fight, he'd been told to kick with his right and he'd kicked with his left, which lead to him falling flat on his back. Jason still hadn't let it up.

"C'mon brats," said Jason triumphantly, not realizing Wally's face had fallen, "I'll tell you all about it before you guys have to go to bed."

"Or they can read about it in the mission report," said Batman dryly, "Bed, all three of you. You have school in the morning."

"And you have work Master Bruce," said Alfred, seeming to appear from thin air and startling all the boys in the room, though Batman remained stoic, "I presume that the early bed-time applies to you as well."

"I have to stitch my wound and write a report," said Batman petulantly.

"Why do you get to stay up?!" demanded Jason, "I have to write my report too! And I wanted to watch a movie while I did it!"

Alfred raised his eyebrow, the perfect Alfred-smirk. Batman sighed and gave in as he said, "I'll be up after the wound is stitched. Bed. All of you."

* * *

After careful planning, Wally and Dick decided that they would steal the file themselves to guard it at home. That way when Catwoman tried to steal it, she'd be disappointed and they could get one over on the villainess. The night fell on Friday, and Bat-Girl, Robin and Batman left early to patrol. Alfred usually hung out in the cave as the boys trained or exchanged jibes with their father and Jason over the comm-system. Damian and Tim sometimes joined in, but Damian had been AWOL for the last few months after disappearing to Colin's university dorm following another fight with his father. Tim was in San Francisco, living up to his reputation as Red Robin and leader of the Teen Titans, but he still made time for them sometimes.

Tonight was the perfect night. Alfred had gotten a mysterious phone call, probably from Damian assuring Alfred that he was alive and eating healthy and still immensely pissed off at Batman and thus not returning home. No matter how badly he and Bruce fought, he always called Alfred on the pretence of making sure Ace was fed. Though for whatever reason he still addressed Alfred as Pennyworth. Tim had a mission of grave importance in San Francisco that was still on a need-to-know basis. Batman was following a lead.

"Let's go!" said Wally, tugging impatiently on Dick's shoulder.

The two were outfitted in their 'costumes'. Wally was wearing a dark black hoodie, with Bat-ears on his that covered his red hair, and black jeans. Dick was wearing his Robin costume, with the pixie boots and panties. Batman and Robin, and Wally was Batman!

"Alright alright," said Dick, after one last check in the mirror, "C'mon."

Dick headed to the abandoned Wing-Cycle, and began to type in the code to unlock it. Seconds later, the two boys were atop the bike, riding out into the night.

* * *

They arrived at the tower in record time. Dick managed to hack through the security entry with ease. He just used a program Tim had set up for this kind of stuff. They were in within minutes. And now they were lost. Dick had a blue-print of the building, and Wally had a tourist map, but he didn't know where to go. Neither did Dick.

"We should split up," said Wally at last, "I'll go left, you go right."

Dick hesitated, looking uneasy at the prospect as he said, "I dunno- it doesn't sound like a plan."

"We're just finding a document and keeping daddy's stuff safe," argued Wally, "And I have my comm."

He lifted the small, gold-Flash themed ear bud that would tuck itself into Wally's ear and keep him connected to the Bat-family and Dick. Dick frowned, and began to shift on his feet. It was his tell whenever he was frustrated.

"Fine," said Dick with a reluctant nod, "Just- Don't get lost, okay?"

"Kay," said Wally, beaming widely as he waved to his brother and set off.

* * *

"Well, whadda we have here?" said the scary looking thug with deep, heavy set eyes that drooped and were red. He had a missing tooth, and a bald head that emphasized his lanky and skinniness that made him look like a pool stick lined up with the white ball-thingy that hit all the other ones.

"Issa kid," said his Hispanic ally beside him, holding Wally up by the scruff of his hood, "How'd a kid get in here?"

"Looks like we was playing Batman," said the first thug, pointing to the yellow bat symbol emblazoned on his chest.

"What's we doing with 'im?" asked the friend, shaking Wally in his meaty fist and making the boy feel dizzy. He reeked of what smelled like marijuana and cheap beer, and it made Wally want to gag.

"Let's take 'im to the boss-man," said first thug, and the two set off, Wally frozen between them.

He hadn't meant to get caught. It had been a total accident on his part. One second he was traipsing down a hall-way, trying to find the shadows that he was meant to stick to- like daddy- but then he was being scooped up by a large brown, hairy hand. His sneakers were squeaking. Oops.

As they entered the file room, the first thing Wally felt was a chill down his spine, and then he heard the sound of something mechanical clunking around. There was a deep, angry voice yelling. None of it registered in Wally's mind. He had completely blanked out.

"What is it?!" demanded the angry voice, and the thug carrying him began to tremble slightly.

"It- kid!" squeaked the man, "We- There was a kid around! We found 'im!"

Wally finally saw the creature come into view. He was tall, almost six and a half feet, taller than his daddy. He wasn't old, but he wasn't young either. Harsh lines cut into his pale, almost white-as-a-page face, that was accented by dark black hair cut into a buzz with matching side-burns and goatee. The man was inside a large, blue and grey costume, which fit more like armour, stacking him up to be a large, imposing robotic figure. In his hand was the deadly weapon Wally had only ever seen from a distance. It was a large, bazooka-cannon-gun type thing, with a nozzle lit up in blue light and connected to the large pack the man carried with ease.

"Mister Freeze," mouthed Wally, his jaw dropped.

That. That hadn't been a part of the plan.

Freeze, for his part, was an intelligent man who'd experienced a psychotic break when his own cryogenic technology had malfunctioned, thus trapping his cancer ridden wife, Nora, in a state of permanent cryogenesis. Once a brilliant employee of Wayne Enterprises' Research and Development department, the man had taken to a life of crime when Bruce Wayne had been unable to fund the supposed cure Freeze had created for his wife. According to Batman, the solution was a mad, desperate bid that guaranteed no solution and would have required endangering more lives to test before ensuring it worked on Nora. The risk had been too high. Nevertheless, Freeze had gone ahead and tried to cure his wife by experimenting on himself, thus rendering his body functionless and trapping him forever in his own container.

"You're Wayne's boy," said Mister Freeze suddenly, "The youngest. His red-headed kid."

Of course Viktor Fries would remember Wally. He'd once been a man who attended Wayne galas and picnics and cook-outs with his wife. Wally was always there with his family, always on stage while his father made speeches, always in view of a camera. And his red hair made him an obnoxious target.

Freeze's face twisted into an ugly smirk, "Looks like Wayne's going to have a reason to fund my research after all. Forget the files boys. We struck gold."

"We're gonna ransom 'im boss?" asked a thug from somewhere behind Wally.

"Whas he doin' here anyways?" asked another.

No answers.

Freeze simply snatched Wally out of the other man's arms, causing the young boy to shudder at the sudden cool touch, and then dragged him out into the night street of Gotham. Shit.

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone?" asked Batman again to his second-youngest son.

"He was s'posed to meet me at the lobby in fifteen minutes!" cried Dick, his face filled with tears as Spoiler held him in her arms, cradling the boy close to her, "We were going to trade 'formation!"

Batman clenched, and then unclenched his jaw. Jason was coming, and Dick was distraught. This was his fault entirely. He should have anticipated Wally and Dick getting antsy. They were young and eager to grow. He had been too hasty in showing them some of the easier case files. He should have shown them something a bit scary, or read them the riot act. Now Wally was missing.

"I looked at the security feeds boss," said Jason sternly as he and Cass came over from the front desk they'd hacked to get to the security feed. Cass's eery black costume, covering her from head to toe, even with blacked out eyes and full black-cowl covering even her mouth, with the yellow bat emblazoned on her chest made her very much the Dark Knight's Daughter of Vengeance. Robin's red suit, with the black cape and military style structure made his son the Dark Knight's Squire. His perfect team. Who were both strung tight and stressed like never before.

"And?" asked Batman quietly.

"Mister Freeze was in here," said Jason, as Dick gave a little wail from Steph's arms as she tried to shush him, "He recognized Wally, the red hair. Kidnapped him. Probably going to ransom him as we speak."

"Then let's get home," said Batman with a nod, "Come."

The team came quietly behind him, Dick still crying.

* * *

"What the hell is this about Wally being kidnapped!?" asked a voice from inside the cave as Batman entered.

"You were supposed to watch them, Father!" snarled a second voice.

Tim was standing there, dressed as Red Robin and carrying his staff with murderous intent. His son's costume was similar to the standard Robin costume, but he was wearing a cowl instead of a domino mask which gave him a very Doctor-Midnite look. Beside him, however, was the more gut-stabbing character. Dressed fearlessly in the blue and black with the bird emblazoned on his chest was Nightwing. Damian. The son who had ran away a few months back after Bruce had argued with him again.

Beside Nightwing was Colin, the source of their last argument, though completely innocent. Colin was standing like a civilian, shirt un-tucked and unbuttoned, revealing the man's muscular build. He was wearing what appeared to be regular blue jeans, but that was about as false as Colin's calm and relaxed expression. The minute Colin accessed his venom stores, he'd be twice the size, a Goliath in his own right, and those jeans would expand to accommodate him. Slung from the jeans was what looked like a thick, gold belt or chain that was rigid rather than flexible. His Abuse brass knuckles. The boy could slip them on in a minute and pound villains to dust. They were upgraded Wayne-tech level strength, meaning they could handle any level blow, and fitted with trackers as well.

"Damian," said Batman coolly, "When did you arrive?"

"When I got a mass message telling me that Wallace was kidnapped!" snapped Damian, before narrowing his eyes at the sobbing, whimpering mess that was Dick in Spoiler's arms.

Spoiler was being unnaturally quiet.

"You informed them?" asked Batman sharply to the girl. She flinched and then sighed as she cheerfully replied, "Nothing like a crisis to bring about some reunion, right?"

Despite wearing an entirely purple costume, with a black-full face mask like Cass, with black globes and boots and a hood, Stephanie Brown remained the friendliest and easiest to read member of his army. And also the least trustworthy when she went and pulled stunts like this.

"She had every right to tell us," said Red Robin automatically, coming to her defence. Were they dating again? Their usual pattern suggested that this was their regular time to be once again 'involved'. Not the point.

"What happened?" asked Colin lightly, avoiding meeting Bruce's eyes.

"Wally and Dick snuck out, ran into Mister Freeze, Wally's been AWOL since," said Jason with a ferocious scowl.

"He's been kidnapped before," said Stephanie soothingly as she tugged her mask off to reveal a friendly pair of blue eyes and golden hair, "He'll be fine!"

"Is my fault," whimpered Dick, as Bruce headed to the computer to begin tracing Wally's communicator and tracker built into his watch he was instructed to carry everywhere.

"It's not your fault," said Damian automatically, as always defending his favorite brother and scooping him out of Spoiler's arms, "Father was foolish and naive. Not to mention completely inept for not capturing Freeze earlier."

"I've been short-staffed since someone ran out after throwing a temper tantrum," said Batman arrogantly.

"It was not a tantrum! You overreacted  _father_  and threw a fit! All because you cannot handle me being in a serious relationship with another  _man_!"

Tim had already side-stepped around Bruce to the computer, as the man in the costume twitched and turned. This was why Damian shouldn't be here. He short-sighted Bruce, made him uncomfortable and frankly, rubbed his temper in all the wrong ways.

"I don't care who you date," said Batman honestly, as Colin continued to look at the ceiling, a slight flush on his face, "But when you two are engaged in  _sexual_  activity then I have every right to be concerned. And the reason I was upset was not about the fact that you were spending money on your lover, but rather the fact that you haven't made any attempt to educate yourself further beyond registering in all the same classes as Colin."

"Because I don't give a damn about school! I'm  _Nightwing_  and Damian _Wayne!_  I have  _no_  interest in a career. Drake will run the company, and I shall be Batman. I have no need for a  _job_ ," said Nightwing with a ferocious scowl, clutching his youngest brother to his side. "And you had no right to ask Colin to submit to sexual health tests! That was a complete breach of his privacy! Besides, neither of us have been with others! If anyone should be concerned about their sexual health, father, it's Drake, considering the fact that he is living unsupervised with god knows who and he and his beloved fight and date other people every other week!"

Colin was a bright red as Jason attempted to cover his snickers with coughs. Batman glowered at his son for a moment, trying to figure out where he got the temper from. Talia probably. She was the emotional and defensive one in their old relationship. His musings were interrupted by a bubbly, "We got a hold on his tracer!"

Immediately Bruce tore away from his eldest and most troublesome child, to see the screen Tim had brought up. His own cowl was down and he was grinning, his blue eyes sparked with energy.

"Freeze had a scrambler in his headquarters at Warehouse 92 at the docks," said Tim, pointing to the location blinking on the map, "But he had called, Alfred answered upstairs. Using the call, I managed to trace him them back to the Dock area. He demanded five million for the night to keep Wally unharmed. I took over and he thinks we're wiring it over, which can buy us time. From there, I used the comm signal and the JLA satellite tech to hack into the frequency and zero on the docks in this area. A military satellite later, and I'm positive it's that one."

"And the clincher," said Stephanie dramatically, "Is that- drum-roll please- that warehouse used to be for imports and has a large cooler to store frozen foods from overseas before being shut down five years ago."

"Let's go," said Batman gruffly, "Nightwing, stay with Dick."

"Gladly," snarled the hero, "Don't screw up father. Watch him Drake."

"Don't bring up my sex life in your arguments and watch Dick," snarled Tim back, pulling his cowl on and muttering under his breath. That was friendly for his sons. Apparently they had a truce. Further evidence that Stephanie and Tim were dating again. She always managed to balance that relationship in ways nobody else but Dick could.

"It's no biggie Timmy," said Spoiler, pulling her own mask on, "He's my gay best friend. I've told him all the dirty details, now c'mon!"

* * *

Wally was freaking out internally. He had been in the warehouse for close to two hours now, with Mr. Freeze apparently negotiating with Tim. To hold him down, he was tied uncomfortably with nylon rope. Wally had loosened himself hours ago, and could move comfortably, but he had to maintain appearances. And these were no nameless thugs trying to get a ransom. This was a  _real_  super-villain. He was in so much trouble. He wondered if Dick had gotten out alright. He hoped so. Being kidnapped sucked.

Apparently Tim was handling the negotiations. That was an hour ago.

"Any money yet?" asked Freeze irritatedly, as his computer-monkey flinched and said, "None yet sir!"

"It's almost time," said Freeze with a growl, "I said he had until four in the morning. Maybe I should freeze the kid and start sending him back in boxes."

Wally's eyes widened, and he shuddered at the implication. There was no way he was going to be frozen and then cracked apart like Freeze's regular victims. Nuh uh. Where was daddy?

On cue, there was a sudden crash from outside the warehouse. Three thugs went to investigate. Freeze lifted his gun, a strange look passing on his face. And then Wally felt a hand clamp around his mouth and he was being lifted into the air. From the other side of the warehouse was a familiar cackle.

"You shouldn't be frozen on the job!" said a light, bubbly voice that was definitely Stephanie.

Spoiler and Robin were leaping into the warehouse, thugs striking out at them in every corner as the two bounced back and forth, dancing together as they parried blows back and forth, legs striking in unison at a thug, before flipping backwards and striking another thug. Volatile, uncontrolled mayhem. Freeze's gun was out and loaded at the two, but unable to strike his target as the two cackled. Wally stared in awe, before turning to realize he was in Cass's arms, on top of one of those walk-ways in the warehouse. Batgirl placed a finger to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, shaking like a leaf.

"Missed you," muttered Wally.

"He's up there!" yelled a random goon, "Get 'im before he 'scapes! He's the money-bag!"

Guns were aimed and fired. But Cass was faster than any gun. Before the men had even drawn them out, Cass was grabbing Wally and lifting him to the roof of the warehouse, smashing through a window and dragging her baby brother out. She left him on the roof, before diving back into the fray.

Robin and Spoiler were back-to-back now, striking left and right at thugs, counting their take downs out loud, perfectly competitive. Batman was in the fray as well, a batarang being tossed and exploding as Freeze danced away. The villain reached out to strike, but Cass was behind him, embedding a batarang into his pack, breaking the tech that powered his gun before she agilely flipped backwards. Freeze glowered and tossed the gun at her, but Batman was quicker and was striking the man's power button, breaking his suit and thus, placing the man in a state of surrender. Without the cold suit powering him, he would die in another twelve hours.

"Let's get going Wall-man," said a voice from behind Wally, and he turned to see Red Robin grinning down at him.

Within seconds, he was scooped into his brother's arms and being hugged tightly. And he burrowed into him, slowly calming down from his first, super-villain kidnapping experience. Once he was calm, he slowly said, "Thanks Doctor Midnite."

"Shut up," growled Red Robin.

* * *

By the time Wally returned to the Bat-Cave, he had received several hugs, Stephanie cooing over his bravery, and Jason's pat on the back for not losing his cool. Batman had said nothing on the matter. Inside the cave, Wally had been thrilled to see his oldest brother and said brother's boyfriend.

"Damian! Colin!" said Wally, excitedly running to be hugged by the two.

"Wally!" said Dick delightedly, and soon the two were hugging and babbling to each other and Bruce could care less as he removed his cowl and stared the two down. This was a conversation for Bruce, not Batman.

"Wally, Dick," he said coolly, as he took his seat in front of the computer.

The rest of the family fanned out. Tim idly stepped between Cass and Stephanie by the lockers, where Jason had stripped the cape and boots off. Damian and Colin fanned out by Alfred, who had hot chocolate and cookies in a tray that he was setting up at the impromptu picnic table set up. Odd how easily all his children managed to fit right into the cave, and how bright they made it seem, with red, blues, yellows and greens glittering around. He wouldn't trade this for anything. And unfortunately it took a family crisis to get them to this point.

The two youngest were in front of him, heads down and looking ready to cry. The elder children were pretending not to listen as they talked softly with each other.

"There is a reason the two of you aren't allowed to patrol," said Batman firmly, "More so, there's a reason the two of you aren't supposed to interfere in missions. The files you two were after were already removed. Do you two understand the severity of what occurred tonight?"

"Yes sir," they both said, shifting and looking uncomfortable.

He sighed and leaned over them both, making sure to look the both in their eyes, judging their sincerity. They were both thoroughly frightened. But fear could be overcome.

"We'll up your training regimens," said Bruce finally, "Three hours of training on the weekdays, five on the weekends for the next month. Maybe if you're a little sore you won't try such a stunt again."

The two grimaced, but nodded.

"And also," said Bruce sternly, "What happened tonight was dangerous. You nearly risked your lives to prove a point. And no point is worth risking your life, got it?"

They nodded again, and then he smiled and let himself be embraced by the two, who were apologizing and murmuring into his shoulder. Then they were gone and his children were crowded around Alfred, dining on cookies and cocoa. He sighed, and shut his eyes.

Damian.

Right.

Almost losing Wally tonight had made him a bit more eager to reconcile. Besides, if Damian had been here, he'd probably have been able to keep an eye on the two. With that in mind, Bruce approached his eldest son.

The dark-haired boy saw him coming, and broke away from the crowd, until the two were at a side of the cave. Bruce could already see Colin watching them, while simultaneously talking politely with Tim and Dick, as Wally continued to be fussed over by Stephanie and Cass. Alfred was the only other one watching them, as he spoke to Jason and listened to the boy's eager recital of his fight.

"Father," said Damian, arms crossed and petulant.

"I wasn't wrong," said Bruce immediately, and Damian scowled harshly at him. With his mask off, it was easy to see the anger flaring in his blue eyes, "But I wasn't completely right either. I'll stay out of your relationship with Colin, if you can agree to trying to develop a real secret identity, with a real career, and some kind of civilian life that doesn't revolve around Colin."

"Colin's my lover," hissed Damian, but Bruce was faster, "I know. But he shouldn't be the only thing that matters to you. The both of you are young, and-

"And we don't need you making contingency plans for the what if scenarios of our relationship," said Damian angrily, "If you agree to stay out of our relationship, you can't be studying us and trying to develop patterns and algorithms to determine our success and failure! That's our concern, not yours!"

By now, the others had given up their pretences of not listening, as Colin flushed and looked away and the group was watching them fight.

"I am not interfering in your relationship!" said Bruce, tensed and glaring, "All I'm saying is that it's not healthy to place all your eggs in one basket!"

"I am not you father! I don't plan on breaking an egg in thousands of baskets!" countered Damian, arms crossed defensively as the two glowered at each other.

"Dami!" said Colin, sounding aghast. The boy had never really witnessed one of their fights. If he was going to be this sentimental, well, that was definitely a factor working against the success of this relationship.

What was the point of this fight again? Reconciliation. Right.

"Fine," said Bruce with thinned lips, "I'll keep my opinion to myself, but in exchange, I want you to actually go to school, and get a job that has  _nothing_  to do with Colin."

The two were silent, judging Bruce's request.

"I'll think about it," said Damian coolly, and there was a sense of relief in the air. It wasn't a victory by any means. Their arguments were never clear cut. There was no way of keeping score. However, the two had reached stalemate for now, until their next argument.

"So, Dami's back?" asked Dick excitedly, and Damian nodded regally, "Of course."

"Does Colin need my room then?" asked Wally, and Stephanie burst into giggles as she said, "Oh I think Damian doesn't mind sharing."

"Stephanie!" said Colin, face flushed and looking entirely embarrassed as he avoided looking anywhere near Bruce or Alfred. Respectful, a factor that Damian lacked. If he managed to rub off on his son, then so be it.

"It's no concern Master Wally, I have already prepared an appropriate guest room for both Mister Colin and Miss Stephanie," said Alfred, a stoic face on, though the old man was smirking internally.

"Ah, I'm just bunking with Cass Alfred, but thanks!" said Stephanie easily, as Colin nodded emphatically.

"To bed then," said Bruce with a sigh, as he headed back to the computer, "It's been a long night."

As his children piled out, Bruce couldn't help the fond smile on his face. They were all under one roof again. For now. But it wasn't a bad feeling to have them all together, and for now, Bruce was okay with that.


	27. Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally, Jason and Dick go out to lunch with Iris. Conner faces his own mind.

Mind sweeps were the strangest thing Superboy had ever experienced. One minute he was looking into M'gann's eyes as she sat down in front of him. The next, he was in his own head, watching memories play out. Events take place. He could see the facts the G-gnomes implanted into his mind, the list of dates playing out, the events he witnessed. Superman's cruelty. The rage. All of it flew by.

Then his real memories came by. The events he was familiar with, the events that could sometimes temper the rage that threatened to consume him. Familiar memories. Safe memories. Even happy memories. He watched the pod open, his eyes zeroing first in on Robin, bent over the panel, blue light eerily setting of his features, and the domino mask looking threatening. New. Then the memories began to move like the television on fast forward, flickering by so quickly he could barely keep track. He felt the memories of smells retaking, the slightly salty scent of Kaldur, the scent of sweat on Robin after his gym training, the smell of Kid Flash when he was so close that Superboy could only smell him. He could sense M'gann zeroing in on the moment with Clay-Face, when he heard the voice. He heard Kid Flash, his cheeky taunt, and the way it rolled in his mind. Then there was a gasp, foreign, and different and he remembered he wasn't alone.

He blinked as the memories grew hazy and faded. Before his eyes was M'gann, staring at him curiously with a face he couldn't quite place. Her eyes were soft, though a little sad. She placed a hand on his knee, as she gave a sweet smile, soft, but still sad. And he didn't know why it made him so uncomfortable, but it did.

"Well, what's wrong?"

* * *

Iris arrived around three-ish in the afternoon at their hotel. Dick, Jason and Wally were sharing a room, probably in Bruce's bid to make sure Jason didn't bring home a strange woman for the night and cause a scandal. Not that it would really stop Jason if he wanted to piss Bruce off. Nonetheless, Jason, for some strange reason, behaved around Iris. And she, for an equally strange reason, adored Jason.

Bruce had never dissected their relationship and reached a satisfiable conclusion.

After Iris picked the group up, they headed out to a local cafe for a late lunch. Jason's civvie disguise was a pair of glasses and a baseball cap to hide his infamous white streak. Discarding his leather jacket and boots helped, making him stand out far less, but he still sported an offensive t-shirt under a plaid shirt (which he bitched about for days when the disguise was picked- Nobody would identify his jacket!) and jeans that slung a bit too low. Despite the attempts there was still something dangerous about Jason that was hard to hide.

"So, tell me what's new in your lives? Anyone serious Jay?" asked Iris, as she zeroed in on the boy across from her. Dick was sitting politely in Robin civvies, though he and Wally were busily typing in morse code jokes about the people in the cafe. Wally, for his part, was practically squished against Iris, letting her run a hand through his once-again red hair, that for the most part, made up his civvies disguise outside of Gotham.

"Just you babe," said Jason easily, winking at Iris who laughed in response.

"So how's work?" asked Iris carefully, glancing at Jay who shrugged nonchalantly and replied with a grimace, "Busy, but not too bad. I'm averaging six hour shifts."

Which was really code for, he was sleeping six hours a night. That was actually pretty awesome. Dick nodded at Jason's assessment as he tossed in, "Things have been pretty calm lately. But the boss-man thinks that the other guys have something in the works. He's been obsessing over watching the cameras to make sure they aren't planning a surprise party for him."

More code. Batman was obsessed that his villains were out to kill him, which meant that he was patrolling back and forth and leaving tracers in all the mob bosses offices to keep an eye on things. Iris frowned at the words, and sighed as she said, "So work is work. No change there. I hope you get a good break from it soon. What about socially? Any updates?"

"Kal hurt his hand pretty bad when we were hanging out last," said Wally with a grimace, "He's headed out to his parents this weekend. There's this new blonde hanging around with us who's a royal pain in the ass and trying to take Roy's place-

"Oh yeah, how is she?" asked a Jason, raising an eyebrow, "I haven't heard anything about that."

"You tend to avoid anything to do with Star," reminded Dick chirpily.

"Oh yeah," said Jason with a snort, "Well, they're sort of bitchy."

"Jay," admonished Iris sharply.

"What? That's not always a bad thing," said Jason roguishly, earning a scowl from Iris and a raised eyebrow, before Jason muttered an apology.

"Boys," said Iris huffily, "So you were saying Wally?"

"Yeah, she's annoying and bratty and I don't like her," said Wally absolutely.

Dick smirked, and then cooed, "Wally doesn't like blondes."

Wally glowered at his brother, and Jay burst into short laughter at that. Iris looked curiously between the two, and then gave Wally a questioning look. Wally flushed, remembering the last time he'd spoken to Aunt Iris about his non-existent love life. When he was questioning his sexuality.

Apparently an old man's death was enough to distract from that. And now it was on his mind again. Crap.

"I don't like her!" blurted Wally firmly, twisting his lips into a grimace. "I hate her!"

Jason grinned, but was cut off by the arrival of a woman. She was hesitant, and Jason's eyes narrowed as he saw her glancing at the table, pursing her lips, and then shaking her head. Then the woman seemed to gather her resolve, and marched on over.

This woman was very pretty, with a short red bob, plump apple-coloured cheeks, and gem-like green eyes. She was wearing a very blue sundress, with an abstract white and black print on it. Her bag was slung around her shoulder.

"Iris?" she called, approaching their table.

Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

She wasn't some reporter who thought that she'd recognized the Wayne boys. Just some normal lady who knew Iris. Technically, she was probably a reporter. But not a good one if she didn't care for them.

Iris turned, looking surprised at the shorter red-headed woman. Then all the colour drained from Iris's face, and immediately all the Wayne boys tensed as Iris gaped like a fish at the woman. Both of them stared at each other, green eyes meeting each either. And with their similar colouring, they could have been sisters if not for the plump woman's freckles and roundness in comparison to Iris's bonier features and clear complexion.

"Mary?"

* * *

M'gann had pulled Superboy into the kitchen for lunch, not really giving him an answer, but promising to discuss the situation later on. Right now, she insisted, was time for food. Superboy wasn't sure what that meant really, and nor did he question it. If M'gann insisted on this- this- food time, then he'd follow along with it. Besides, she was the one who had just saw his mind. If he was losing it, he'd rather not know.

The two were working in silent tandem. Superboy opening whatever jars or boxes she floated to him, smashing eggs to dust, and letting her work in peace. He was pretty sure egg-shell dust wasn't a part of the cookies she was making, but he didn't really care. Miss Martian seemed thoughtful, deliberative, and miles away all at once.

Thinking.

His stomach clenched at the thought that he had caused her to look so distressed. To be so distracted. This was his fault. Guilt and nervousness. Two new emotions for the day. This was exhausting. Why did people put themselves through these feeling? It was just so tiring. All he wanted to do was run to his room and hide in the closet until nothing could ever get to him again.

It was probably a bad thing if he still associated the pod with safety.

On that wry note, Superboy let himself be directed to the television. The static resumed. He had never quite learnt how to use the television. Usually Robin or Kid would change the title for him, or alter the screen. He missed his friends. He wondered if Kaldur was happy in Atlantis. If he would come back.

Kaldur had promised, so he would be back.

Letting that thought slide, he watched the screen for more time, and then Megan was beside him, with a warm glass of milk, that was delicious and soothing to his nerves as she babbled on how earth people drank this as a custom before Santa or bed-time. Irrelevant information that the G-gnomes had never taught him.

Interesting information.

The cookies were dry and papery. He couldn't really taste much, since they were slightly charred, but at least this attempt was still brown and had chocolate chips that tempered the paste-like taste of the cookies themselves. He dutifully ate the three she had provided, and then made a note to throw those out before Kid ate them. The boy really ate anything he was presented.

"So," asked Superboy again, "What's wrong? With me?" Just in case she didn't know who he was referring to.

"Superboy," said M'gann gently, laying a delicate green hand on his knee, "I- I want you to know- It isn't life threatening. It's perfectly normal what happened in the sewers."

Conner paused, and turned to M'gann, cocking an eyebrow in surprise. What did that mean? His behaviour wasn't unexpected? It was normal to have such strange ideas and thoughts? To hear voices? Hearing voices was a part of symptoms associated with paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations. It could be a sign of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or worse, clone degeneration.

He knew the risks.

He knew what he was.

He knew he was the anomaly.

"It's not normal," came the harsh reply.

"It is," argued M'gann, "When you here someone's voice, it means you attribute a particular- thought- or emotion- to that person. Like they're your conscious. It's a sign of friendship."

"Friendship?" asked Superboy, his temper quelling at the magic word.

"Friendship," confirmed M'gann softly. "It's not dangerous at all."

"But I'm hearing voices," argued Superboy, "And that's dangerous!"

Before M'gann could continue to defend the voice in his head, Superboy stormed out, uneasy. Friendship wasn't supposed to be scary. He didn't want to hear Kid Flash's voice in his head. Glowering at the floor, he let himself stew in those thoughts.

* * *

Iris had pulled the stranger away, leaving the boys. Jason had not failed to notice the way the woman's eyes settled on Wally. He watched the two red-heads talking outside the restaurant, both glancing back at the window where the Wayne brothers sat. Jason couldn't figure it out. Mary. That name was familiar. Important.

To their credit, his little brothers hadn't noticed anything. Curious as they were, they were also oblivious. Kids.

Jason wasn't.

And then the name struck a chord in his brain, and he stared at the two women, gaping like a fish.

"Bathroom," he grunted, getting up and heading in the direction of the john, not wanting to let the boys into the secret.

Once inside the shoddy blue thing with tiled boats along the walls, with a tiny blue sink and shitty white stalls, he pulled out his cell-phone. His fingers were shaking as he dialled the number, trying and failing to keep his cool. The phone rang twice, before the calm and calculating voice of his father rang in his ear, "What happened?"

"Wally- mom- here," gasped out Jason, unsure what else to say, his hands still trembling. Moms sucked. No member of the Bat-Family had a happy mother-son-or-daughter relationship. The happiest relationships were when the mother was dead.

This was not good.

"I'm on my way," came Bruce's voice, and then he hung up.

Jason paused, listening to the dial-tone, shivering still. Eventually, his heart rate calmed, and after splashing some water on his face, getting the stupid hat wet in the process, he escaped out to the booth. Iris was pale and sitting at the table. Dick and Wally were silent, as Jason met Iris's eyes.

"She wants to come to dinner," said Iris softly, "I said no. It's Jay's birthday tonight. She said to call."

"And?" he asked, irritated.

"And what, Jason?" she asked dully. "It's not my decision."

"Tell her no," said Jason pointedly.

"Who was that?" asked Wally, nervous as he stared at the two, "How do you know her Jason?"

That had both of them whirling around to face Jason, and they didn't know quite what to say.

Finally Iris sighed, and said, "That was your mother, Wally."


	28. Welcome to Bialya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team heads to Bialya. Commence amnesia.

The Team was called into a mission only a day after their weekend vacation. Dick knew why it was so quick despite reasonably needing to be benched for a few days. Kaldur's hand, after exposure to Atlantean water, had healed considerably, but probably not enough for a mission. He was still in a cast, but any potential nerve damage had been avoided. So he was mostly cleared for recon missions. Secondly, Superboy had almost destroyed the gym, obviously frustrated over something that he refused to share with Black Canary during the training session.

Wally hadn't spoken to anyone about Mary. All day of Jay's birthday he'd attempted to be happy and cheerful and not said a word about meeting Mary. The day they got back to Gotham, he just gave up on that facade and locked himself in his room. Bruce and Batman were at the end of their rope, trying to find a way to get Wally to talk about things. But Wally was as much a Bat as the rest of them. He had remained closed off and silent. This mission was hopefully going to get Wally to open up, and to stop looking like a kicked puppy whenever he thought nobody was watching.

They were on the bio-ship, heading to Bialya. After a suspicious power surge, Batman had jumped the gun and was sending them in. It was blind mission, practically stealth over action. But still exciting enough.

Even if it was going to be a piece of cake.

* * *

The first thing Artemis noticed when she opened her eyes was the roof. It was dry wood, cracked wood. Hot. She was in a warm place, warmer than Gotham in February, at the least. The air was cool though, so it was probably late. Night. Her eyes were adjusting and but she flickered them shut. Disadvantage, but she could her father's voice.

_Ears kiddo. Use your ears. Only a real idiot leaves them open if they capture you._

And whoever had caught her was an idiot. There was nothing cutting her hearing off, and she was acquainting herself to the environment. Whoever was in this shack with her was moving, quickly, but moving nonetheless. Shuffling, twitching. Probably impatient. He was fiddling with something electronic, judging from the beeping sounds. Communicator? Trying to call his headquarters? The outside air was stagnant. No whooshes or large breeze sounds, emphasizing that the climate was dry. And empty.

Not a city then.

Hot, empty places.

Not a forest.

Possibly a desert.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this time she'd leave her dad for good. Strike out on her own. Like Jade. Because really-  _A desert_. Fucking assassin family.

No, six months, and mom would be home.

Screw this.

Time to get out.

Her fingers twitched, and she instantly knew she was dressed in Kevlar from the weight of her hand movement. Slightly, she lifted her lashes, just barely making out an empty room. She had already determined her midriff was exposed. The costume felt strange, but like it fit well. Made for her. Judging from the light, it was probably a dark colour, green or maybe blue. Not purple for sure. She'd never wear a purple costume.

By her legs was a quiver, stocked to the brim with arrows. No bow though. Doesn't matter, she could do quite a bit of damage with the arrows alone.

"Hey- Hey are you awake?" came a voice. Weak, nervous, possibly a boy from the higher pitch or a woman. Another hostage, or a trick?

She paused, and then gave up her gag by springing up to her knee. Simple move, clean. Crouched on her knee, she saw the kid in front of her. Pale-face. Costume. Black. No mistaking the symbol on his chest though. Red lightning bolt- Flash.

Kid Flash, judging from the red hair and the fast-paced flailing he did before catching his balance.

He was shorter than her, freckled. A slightly boyish face.

Not a threat. Yet.

"Who are you? And what am I doing here?" came Artemis's reply, quick and level. Not a threat. Not an ally.

"Kid Flash," he said proudly, pointing to his chest, and tapping it. The yellow was back. Interesting. "And I have absolutely no clue. I woke up out in the desert, and you were there. So I dragged us back here. Are you kidnapping me?"

"Are you kidnapping me?" tossed Artemis back, already pretty sure that he was no threat.

"No," he said, looking confused, "Why would I kidnap you? Who are you anyways?"

"Artemis," she said, leaning back, still taught, but giving a relaxed pose.

The bow was behind the kid.

He wasn't a complete idiot if he'd separated her from the main weapon.

"So, why are we here?" asked the Kid, trying to figure it out, "I can't get in touch with my dad."

Communication systems down. Not likely Sportsmaster had dragged her out to kill this kid. Besides, he was the Flash's sidekick. Not really a threat to their group. The Flash worked more against the Network than the League of Shadows.

So someone had kidnapped both of them? Why? What could they possibly get from kidnapping the Flash's kid and the daughter of a known assassin affiliated with the League of Shadows?

"I think we should work together," said Artemis finally, standing up and offering him a hand, "Lets go find out whose going to kill us."

"That's morbid," he said, accepting her hand but grinning, "If we get wifi, I can call my brothers to get us."

"Brothers?" she asked, curious.

"Oh- shoot. Forget I said that," he replied sheepishly, "Secret ID issues and all. You have anyone?"

"A sister," she said wryly, "But we're not calling her."

"Okay," he said, surprising her. She'd thought he was the questioning type.

"Let's go than," he said cheerfully, and headed to the door.

Well, at least Sunday night wasn't going to be boring.

* * *

The first thing that Robin did when he woke up was assess his surroundings. He was alone, in the sand, and it was late at night. Disorientation, but no signs of a concussion. Probably kidnap, or aborted kidnap attempt. Ra's? He liked to venture out to hot deserts. He could rule out Talia as she and Damian had finished their annual mother-son bonding just a month ago in January when she'd tried to kill Colin. Again.

He made a mental note to go check on his older brother-in-law except-not-really because Damian thought marriage was "a baseless institution and that their love was above cliches but Colin should still wear a ring because he was Damian's and if anyone tried to touch his perfect boyfriend he'd flay them with all the skills an assassin should have." By comparison, Tim and Stephanie's on-again off-again dating-other-people relationship was so much less complex. Then again, it may have had to do with the fact that Damian was a complex person himself. Not that Tim wasn't complex so there may not be a comparison. And by comparison, Jason was the most complex and his love-life was too quick to keep up with so there-

Focus Robin, came the Batman-like voice, and he immediately stilled.

Dessert. He was in a dessert.

First things first, radioing Batman.

He typed the code for the Bat-Cave into the key-pad on his arm. No connection. His communicator rendered static. Something large was nearby, scrambling all static in the area. Interesting. This would require further investigation.

But first, Bat-Cave.

He pulled out the emergency signal comms for Tim and Jason and Damian. A far discreeter system that Tim had developed years ago. He typed the comm's code in, and registered the frequency change in his ear. The static cleared up, but it was still crackling. Whatever was nearby was scrambling signals well, that's for sure.

He put out an emergency Bat-signal.

"R-in?" came the fuzzy reply, and he wasn't sure which brother it was.

"I'm in a dessert, all signals down," said Robin softly, "Not sure where. Looks like kidnap. I woke up disoriented and alone. No sign of Batman, but there is a likelihood he was hear. Last memory involves chasing Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy."

"W-t? -In- D-er!" came the voice into his ear. Robin assumed that his computer was back on battery, working again to transmit the discreet messages through Tim's secret channel.

"Yeah, so get to me ASAP," said Robin cheerfully, "I'm going to lay low."

With that, he disconnected his communicator, not wanting to waste battery or alert any enemy figures to a signal bypassing their blockers, and began to move slowly through the desert, sticking to the shadows, and trying to find some place to stay covered.

* * *

The being awoke. Something all around him. It was a dark color all around him, he didn't know the name. He didn't know anything.

A crack resounded in the distance.

The figure rose, frightened as his limbs tensed, the muscles in his arms flexed, and he turned his head wildly, trying to locate the sound.

Attack!

His mind registered the fear, catalogued it as his first emotion. Fear. He was afraid. He was threatened. Vague concepts filled his mind, and with rage he struck his fist out at the sky. Nothing happened, but he stood. He ran.

Fast. The world blurred as he moved, right off a dune. He soared in the air, dancing with the night sky, before landing, pounding the ground with his weight and cracking the sand below him. The shot resounded into the night again. Where was it from?

He could hear more now, as he tried to locate that sound. Tried to locate the threat. He could hear the slow breeze blowing lazily over the sand, he could hear the revving of something. A sound mechanical and grunting as it purred a false sound that nature had no memory of. That  _he_  had no memory of.

Threat.

Attack!

He charged, lifting off his feet. Towards the sound. He would eliminate it all. Until the world was quiet. And there was no fear.

* * *

Tim hung up the communicator with a shocked expression. Dick was obviously concussed, and there was probability of his mind being wiped. He frowned into the phone, trying to make sense of it all. They were sent to Bialya. No records stated that the Bialyans had any connection to mind-wiping. What had Queen Bee developed?

Was it technology?

Was it magic?

Where was Dick's team? Where was Wally?

"Guys!" he yelled, exiting his quarters and moving to the mission briefing room in the Titan Tower at the edge of Jump City. His computer was already calculating a response to the matter, trying to calculate which ship would take the fastest route to the location in Bialya that Dick had managed to hack while simultaneously sounding the mission alarm.

Tim was very proud of that invention of his. Most radio frequencies, even the private ones, ran on similar channels. Tim had managed to develop a Bat-Channel, that ran at a frequency most military-grade blockers couldn't pick up. He'd handed it to Dick, Wally and Colin (because he refused to give Damian an advantage) in case of emergency, and slipped one onto Jason's red helmet. It was still in development, but the amount of static Dick had received, judging from his lack of understanding of the conversation made Tim aware of the serious issues with his new radio program that he'd slipped on the Watchtower satellite. More tech would be needed to fix that.

"Friend Tim?" asked Starfire, entering the mission briefing room first. The orange-skinned Tamaranean was taller than Tim and looked about twenty human years, dressed in her usual silver skimpy costume that had purple accents, green eyes gleaming as she looked over him with concern, "What has you so upset?"

"What's going on?" asked Raven, following behind Starfire. The girl was young yet, and should technically have been a member of Robin's team, but after the team had found the, now twelve-year old, a year ago, Raven had refused to part with them. Her dark black hood was pulled up, and her face blank, though her eyes had slight concern in them.

"This had better be good," muttered Ravager as she came in, white-blonde hair bouncing behind her as she stretched her limbs, looking as though she'd just finished working out. "I had plans."

"Cyborg's getting the ship ready to depart as we speak," said Tim, having already sent the message ahead, "Suit up and meet me there. Where are Zach and the new guy?"

"Right here," said the new guy, as Red Arrow entered the room. The ginger-haired ex-sidekick of Green Arrow had been a pleasant new addition, joining the team as a semi-permanent member. After Wally and Dick had mentioned being worried about Roy's living habits, Tim had offered the kid a place on the team. Besides, most of the team had outgrown the role of "teens" a long time ago, being in their early twenties. And the kid was diligent, already suited up.

"Zach headed ahead to help Cyborg," said Red Arrow.

Tim narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where is he really?"

The alliance with Zachary Zatara, though, could be done without.

"He had a show," said Red Arrow with a shrug, "And he was performing. Said he'd be late."

"It's a mission," griped Tim, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Whatever, we'll pick him up on the way. Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr! 
> 
> Link: http://sunny-donna.tumblr.com/


	29. Almost Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thing in Bialya continue on.

Artemis and Wally had been trekking for about a half-hour now, neither sure what desert they were in. Wally's clock was tuned to American time, and Artemis had no clock on her. Wally had fiddled with the comm for a bit, trying to get through, but it had been damaged, presumably in a run. Tim's materials weren't sturdy enough for a speedster yet. With no way to get in touch with Central or Gotham, Wally was essentially stuck.

"That star is North," said Wally, pointing up at the sky, "So, theoretically, if we keep running North, I could possibly get us someplace with actual people in a few hours."

"Do you have the energy for that?" asked Artemis, looking doubtful.

"Possibly," said Wally, checking his suit. Two lightspeed bars were there, so he could technically get by, "I have food."

"I guess if that's our only option, we may as well take it," said Artemis doubtfully, "But let's scope the nearby area first. I want to know who kidnapped us."

"Why?" asked the kid, staring at her from behind those orange goggles. "Let's just get home."

"Don't you want to know why we were taken?" asked Artemis pointedly.

Artemis then remembered that common saying, be careful what you wish for. Now, to be frank, she'd always despised people who said that. Hated them from her very core. Which was probably why they were laughing at her now.

From over the sand dune came a large truck, filled to the brim with what looked like soldiers. Judging from the uniform, Bialyan soldiers. At least that explained the desert. She grimaced, strung her arrow through the bow, and fired, aiming in the middle of the squadron. Artemis barely had time to look for Kid, he was zooming quickly, a blur of black and red, knocking soldiers left, right and centre as well as taking their guns.

And then the tank came.

Scowling fiercely, Artemis ducked backwards, third arrow slung and firing. This time, purple, polyurethane foam burst out, ensnaring part of the wheels of the tank. Well, that was new. Grinning maniacally as the familiar rush of adrenaline burst through her veins at that rush, she laughed, tossing her head back. Her grin was steel. There was a thrill that only this life could give her, and maybe it was sick and twisted, being attracted to the violence her father bred in her, but it was a part of her.

* * *

 

Hands were wrapped around Wally's throat as he lay back in the sand. His body was pinned down, as he stared up into the most brilliant blue eyes he'd ever seen. They were filled with anger and fear, boring holes into Wally's face. So sad, troubled, upset.

Wally could feel himself getting light-headed.

He hoped Artemis was okay, that she'd managed to get away. That Super-boy-man-look-alike hadn't hit her too hard. He hoped his brothers would forgive him for dying. He could hear Dick in his mind, screaming something.

And then Dick was there, kryptonite in hand, slamming into the strange superbeing.

Wally gasped for air. He watched as the Superman-look-alike escaped after mauling Artemis and he, Dick waving kryptonite at him. Artemis was by his side, hovering over his face as he gasped, struggling for air. Then her lips were on his and she was blowing air into his mouth and he groaned as his lungs were filled. She moved back, concern in those grey eyes, as she placed a hand to his forehead.

Then she was flying backwards as Robin landed a solid kick in her chest. She gasped, standing up and bow at the ready. Wally struggled to his feet, hoarsely crying out, "Di- No!"

Dick turned to face him, and his worry was painted on his face, the domino mask doing nothing to hide his fear. Robin wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him gently but fiercely in a hug. Wally wrapped his arms around his brother, fear dissipating. Dick would take care of everything.

"Are you okay?" asked Dick, stepping back, "I called Red, he'll be here. Why are  _you_ here?! What happened?"

"A-Art-Artemis," choked out Wally, throat still hoarse as he headed over to the other girl, who was staring between the two, her eyes narrowed.

"Are you- and he- I mean- I have no problem with homos and what-

"We're not dating!" said Wally, aghast, though not entirely surprised by her assumption. Dick was being rather touchy-feely, "He's my best-friend, my bro."

Artemis stared past Wally at Dick, who was smirking at the accusation, but his hand was on his utility belt. Ready to strike at Artemis at any moment.

"Dick- Artemis is helping," said Wally with a nod.

Dick gave a quick glance over at Artemis, and then asked her, "Mind catching me up?"

So Artemis explained how the two of them had awoken in the middle of the desert together. Wally had found Artemis knocked out, and dragged her to the shed. They'd been attacked by Bialyans, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Super-boy-the-mysterious, and the Bialyans had scattered. And that was how Dick found them.

* * *

 

The creature was roaring, whimpering and frightened. That glowing rock, bright and shiny and dangerous had hurt him. He stared at his chest, where a wound had opened up. His hands dipped into the blood. His own blood.

His sensitive ears could hear the others. The one with the scary green rock was talking. They all were talking. Soldiers were talking somewhere else, making different sounds. There were whimpers of pain and yells and he was so tired and scared.

His chest hurt from where the rock had cut him.

He wanted to be free. He wanted everything to be quiet. He wanted to heal.

The moonlight on his chest wasn't enough. Instinctively he knew he needed something more. Something important. Something brighter.

But it wasn't in sight.

The creature trudged onwards, thinking and pondering in a manner it didn't recognize. It saw the eyes behind the golden glare of strange eyes on a spotted face in yellow skin. A creature with red on it's head that lay, gasping and struggling for air below the creature's hands. He had felt the pulse of another life, beating much faster than the creature's own.

The noises in the distance grew louder.

And then suddenly he felt a spark of electric current hit his wound and the creature roared in horror as the pain flared in his muscles, forcing him to his knees as he yelled and felt water drew to his eyes, pricking and then it went black.

* * *

 

As they trudged through the desert, Robin and Artemis exchanged glares over Kid Flash's head. Neither felt comfortable trusting the other, nor did they feel confident that leaving the group would be the best idea. So, it was in a state of uneasiness that they moved.

Until suddenly a girl materialized right in front of them. She had green skin, and wore the red 'X' of the Martian Manhunter's costume over her own, with a dark blue hood and a bright smile. The strangest thing was her orange hair and freckled face, like she was half-human half-martian. It was slightly jarring to witness.

Both Artemis and Robin had weapons out at the ready, while the girl gasped, "Artemis! Robin! Kid Flash! I found you at last!"

* * *

 

Tim hated his team on most days.

Sometimes, sometimes they were alright. Victor and he would create schematics for some amazing piece of tech, and Tim would feel alright with his team. Raven would express an emotion nowadays, without fear of releasing the dangerous part of her. Starfire was learning human customs and sometimes she'd use the correct idiom or expression and Tim would feel a bit like a proud teacher. Rose was being less abrasive with the rest of the team. And Roy was realizing that teamwork and relying on older, and more experienced heroes was not always a bad thing.

But on days like today, Tim abhorred the assholes he worked with.

"I have a kid brother too y'know," said Rose, as she squashed herself on top of Tim's shoulder while chewing gum right in his ear. Purposely. To irritate the fuck out of him. "Named Jericho. But he can usually handle a dangerous situation for more than a few hours. I bet yours can too, so seriously, let me grab a coffee from Starbucks. I'll even get you a delicious fucking fruit smoothie."

"Rose! It is clear that friend Robin is distressed and that his brother and friends are in the utmost danger! We must be fast as thunder to get over there and help!" encouraged Starfire, sweet, helpful Starfire.

"I'm with Rose," muttered Raven, the twelve-year old shuffling in her seat on board their ship and looking uneasy.

"We're not leaving you to the other team," assuaged Tim, "Besides if they wanted anyone, it would be Roy. And he's still on probation."

"I thought I was off probation!" argued Roy, "Besides, I'm pretty sure the kids'll be alright while we stop for coffee."

"We're fucking professionals," gritted out Red Robin, "And we have a fucking coffee machine on board this fucking ship."

"It's disgusting," announced Zachary, the number one nuisance on-board Tim's precious airship. "Seriously Red, those beans are slimy."

"Like you," growled Tim, "There will be no fucking coffee breaks!"

Cyborg took pity on Tim, and finally called out helpfully from his place at the hub of the ship, steering, "We'll take Red's brother and his friends out for coffee when we rescue them, kapeesh?"

The others sighed and returned to their seats, though Rose did thump Red Robin's head, and Zachary flounced. For a moment, a blissful, peaceful moment, everything was quiet.

And then-

"Did you have to pick me up when I was about to get laid by the birthday girl? I was going to show her exactly how speaking backwards made my tongue-

"Finish that fucking sentence Zatara and I'll take my katana and shove it up your ass and show you exactly what I learned from my dad-

"You're just upset that you can't get into my-

"Friends! Please don't argue! I am sure that your tongue and swords are equally skillful in their endeavours!"

"Course, Rose's sword sees more action than Zach's tongue."

"Civ pals yor."

"Oi! I like having fucking control of my body!"

"Mini-Red slapped me!"

"Meditation is pointless with all of you here."

He fucking hated his team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the new chapter! Less Wally/Kon than I hoped, and less Teen Titans then I envisioned. However, it's been almost three months, and that made me feel guilty. This is still on a temp hiatus, at least until Enough is finished. Until then, enjoy this filler chapter until the main shit goes down in Bialya, in which there are actual changes to the YJ timeline.
> 
> Also, school has me really swamped, so please, please be patient. Things should hopefully sort themselves out, but until then, please wait it out with me and wish me luck!
> 
> [sunny-donna.tumblr.com](sunny-donna.tumblr.com)


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